Silly faces and strong wills

     Samuel has just started to draw faces, as oppose to his usual waterfall and rock pictures.  I love the special way that each little child starts to draw faces. 

    Samuel's faces have big eyes with pupils and one eye is always bigger than the other.  His faces also have whiskers, which I think is funny.  This morning, Samuel presented me with a face he had drawn, complete with whiskers, and what appeared to be a black eye.  He looks at me with a face beaming with pride, and says, "I draw you a picture, Mommy. It's you!" 

 "Oh... wow... thanks, I guess."  Vanity has prevented me from showing that one here.

     Samuel and Abriel have started to show an interest in writing their names.  I taught Anna to write her name when she was about this age, but I haven't worked with the twins.  However, Abriel picked up on her own (Or maybe Anna taught her) how to draw an "A", so now she signs her pictures, "AtAtAtAtAtAtAt", except it's upside down. She is very proud of her new signature.  Samuel wants to write his name, but is afraid to try, so he asks me to. He wants me to, "Draw me Sam with those tiny snakes." The snake being the "S" in his name. When I ask him if he wants to try it, he very carefully draws a strait line, then says, "That's a one.  I draw Sam with a one."  This is very revealing of his personality.  He wont attempt to do something that he might fail at, (as in drawing on an S) but in lieu of that, he does what he knows he can do well, and just says that's the right way. So a 1 becomes the way he writes his name. 

Personality and Artistic Differences

     An unexpected thunderstorm today made me think it was a good time for a little inside creativity, and to let the kids try out their new painting boards. 

     The boards are so smooth and pretty, it made painting time more special.  I made them from 1/4 inch plywood that was really smooth, but one side had green printing all over it, that could not be sanded out.  So I decided to stain them green using my homemade colored stain.  I just mix artist oil paint with butcher block oil, and I can get a rub on stain any color I want.

     I loved watching the twins paint today.  It really showed their personality differences.  Abriel very carefully painted in the blue, and then without mixing at all, she carefully added the red.  You can see her tongue stuck out in concentration.  She didn't talk at all while she was painting, but when she had filled in the last little bit of paper, she said, "I'm all done. It's very lovely." 

     Samuel's painting method is very different.  He slaps it all on, and the more mixing the better.  He also loves to chat while painting.  He said he was painting "A big, giant thunder rain cloud. " and it was "really loud!" While Abriel was carefully dabbing on her paint, he was painting, "as fast as a tornado!" with paint flying everywhere.  The paint must have been an inch thick by the time he was finished. 

     Anna painted her usual theme.  I really need to get her some watercolor paper, since painting on card stock just isn't the same.  When I made the painting boards, I also made Anna a paint pot holder.  I stained it turquoise- her favorite color.  I am going to make some for the twins as well, but I'm  out of scrap wood just now.

Outdoor Play Spaces

     This is my recently completed, (or at least nearly so; I'm always thinking of something else too add) play area for the kids. 

     This place has been slowly evolving over the years, from a completely unusable space under our deck, to what it is now.  It started with the one little swing that is past the tire swing.  We put that up for Anna shortly after we moved, and for one little girl who entertained herself easily, that was pretty good.  Then the twins got old enough to play out side, and I realized that all the unfinished outside projects that had come to a screeching halt when I became pregnant, not only had not miraculously completed itself, but that the mess had to be cleaned up in order to make it safe enough for two wobbly one year olds to be outside.  There was a lot of wood that had to be gotten rid of, so I used some of it to make a sand box.  It's nothing fancy, but it works.
     I wanted to get some more swings, so that everyone could swing at the same time, but apparently swings have gotten ridiculously expensive in the few years since I bought one for Anna.  Then Dave had to get tires for his truck, and I had a Eureka! moment.  A tire swing would be so much cheaper, and all the kids could ride on it together.  I asked Dave to save one of the truck tires, but instead of saving one of his old tires, he asked if he could have one of the tires laying around the garage.  The guy said, "Sure, as long as you don't bring it back!" He got the biggest one there.  The kids have loved it, and our whole family can fit on it!
        We added some logs and mulch this past week, and now it's really nice under there.  I read Robinhood to Anna while sitting on the logs yesterday.  Almost as good as sitting under the greenwood tree.

     It's amazing how necessary it is to have a place for kids to play, when you have a rather small boring yard.  Growing up, I had acres to play on!  There was always something to do, (even if I do remember saying "I'm bored" pretty frequently.) 
     The next thing I want to add is a pulley going from the top of the deck, down to the ground.  As long as they don't pulley each other up, I think they will have fun with it.  Although they would probably have fun pulling each other up until somebody falls, hits their head on a rock, and gets knocked out.  Ask me how I know.  ;)

Happy Birthday Samuel and Abriel!

     My babies are three.  It doesn't seem that long ago that they were tiny little babies; not running, talking, singing, memorizing Bible verses, learning to count, toddlers. 

    They got their Birthday measurements done.  Abriel has kept her lead on Samuel.  I wonder if at some point this will bother him.  He sees himself as older, or at least more capable at doing things, and Abriel is more than happy to let him open doors for her, or pour her a glass of milk, so I don't think being a little shorter will bother him much.
     

     We had a very simple party for them, which I think they were able to enjoy more than if I had gone all out.  I made some permanent decorations this year, that all of the kids can have for their Birthdays.  This banner was fun and easy to make.  Even better because I didn't have to buy any thing to make it.  It was made from scraps I had leftover from other projects.

     The Birthday ring I bought from an Etsy dealer.  I love it.  The wood is so beautiful. I made the decorations for it.  I had a lot of fun thinking of what to put in it.  The snowman is because their birthday is in the winter, the heart is for February, the squirrel and the bunny are just because they like those animals, and of course there is a number three.  I also have a little picture of them as newborns.

This picture was taken when they were just a few days old.  Maybe I'm biased, but I think they were the most beautiful newborn I've ever seen.  When I was looking through the old photos to find one to put in the Birthday ring, Anna looked at baby picture of them, and said, "I miss them."  I know how she feels.  They are babies for such a short time, and then they're not.  However, as sweet as they were as newborns, I don't think I would like to re-live that time.  Newborn twins are tough.  That whole time is sort of a hazy blur. 

      Here's their cake.  Two little squirrels sharing one acorn.  Kind of like their life.  Being twins hasn't always made them the best sharers, but they are definitely familiar with the concept.  The idea for their cake came from my desire to not use dye in it.  I've been trying to cut back on the amount of dye the kids eat, and so I couldn't see avoiding pre made food with too much dye, and then adding a bunch into something I made for them.  Anna's birthday cake this year was simple, as she wanted a cheesecake (Yum!), but I wanted to do something a little more kid themed for the twins.  A girl cake is easy because you can dye it pink with raspberry or strawberry juice, but what can you do for a gender neutral cake?  So a snowy cake, (It's white!) seemed like the perfect solution.  They like snow, and they have really been into fir trees since Christmas.  When we are driving around, every fir tree they see is a Christmas tree, and they get soooo excited about a tree they see in the highway median.  We have tons of squirrels, (too many) so that seemed like a perfect animal to have on it.  I sprinkled coconut on everything to make it more snowy.   I think it turned out cute, and it was so easy to decorate compared with other cakes I have done in the past.

It was good too!  The cute little boy in the middle is their nephew.  He is two months younger than they are, and they just looove him. 
     They were so excited about their Birthday this year.  So much so, that next year I'm not sure if I'll tell them they are going to have a party until seconds before the guests arrive!  They woke me up at FIVE O' CLOCK in the morning, asking, "Is it Birthday party time?!"  And they continued to ask that about every five minutes, until it finally was BIRTHDAY PARTY TIME!

Abriel the Artist

Abriel has really gotten into drawing faces.  They are so funny and expressive, that I just had to share.  Of course, I know I might be a bit biased. ;) I found these on the marker board today.

This one looks rather angry, or maybe just determined.

This one has something on his mind that he's not going to share yet.

And this one is worried.

     I'm having trouble accepting the fact that my babies are going to be three in just a few days.  Already they are talking so much, and are getting bigger in so many ways.  Good bye babyhood.



No More TV

      It's funny how you hardly notice something slowly encroaching on your life, until one day you look around and think, "What happened?"  That was TV for us.  I've always been strict on the amount of TV that I allowed the kids to watch, but then the twins started really liking it.  And it was so much easier to get supper on while they were watching a movie, and then a little TV in the morning didn't hurt, and it was so nice for them to have something to do during school, and, etc, etc...  Until suddenly I woke up and thought, "What am I doing?  This is not what I want my children to do all day."  So I made a New Years resolution, to get the kids off the TV. (and the computer, as Anna was getting way too into computer games.)  I was dreading doing it, since I knew there would be constant whining for awhile, and I really didn't know how I was going to keep the twins from turning on the TV when I wasn't watching.  I tried unplugging it once, but they figured out that trick within seconds, and Dave wouldn't let me disconnect the cable.  It turns out, I didn't have to do anything.  Our TV broke right before New Years.  Completely flat-lined; not even any static.  Haha! It's great when things work out like that.
         Of course, the day after it broke, Dave was looking at adds for a new TV.  Out of everyone in our household, Dave watches the least amount of TV, but he absolutely will not consent to not having one.  Grrrr.... I have tried every argument I can think of in favor of not having a TV, but to no avail.  However, we haven't replaced our old TV yet, so I might prevail after all.

     Here's my guys zoned out in front of the TV with their cousins.  No more toddler zombies for me, thank you.

Wooden Pattern Block Templates

     Due to the Twins sporadic napping, I have started to incorporate them into our school schedule.  Such as, while Anna is working on her math, the twins are allowed to  play with the math manipulatives.  Since they aren't allowed to play with them any other time, they love them.  I have also started to think of other activities for them to do at this time.  There aren't a lot of "preschool" type things that two year olds can successfully do, but the twins love pattern blocks, so I thought I would give templates a try.  I printed off a couple from prekinders.com, and they both loved putting the pattern blocks on the templates.  Unfortunately, I don't have very many pattern blocks, and I unwittingly printed off two patterns that use more squares than we have.  Samuel managed to get them first for his giraffe, and Abriel was upset that she didn't have enough to finish her lion.  Then Samuel went to the bathroom.  I was in the bedroom, and overheard Samuel come back and say, "Hey! Where's my giraffe?" Abriel didn't answer him, but I could hear her singing, "I have little tiny squares, little tiny squares!" 
     I have ordered more pattern blocks to keep that from happening again, but I also needed to make more durable templates, since the paper printouts didn't last past the first day. 

     The solution: Mod Podge.  I love that stuff.   First I had Dave cut out several 8" by 11"  rectangles out of some thin ply wood we had.  I sanded them smooth, then carefully cut out some paper patterns. I then mod podged them onto the wood.  There are patterns on both sides of the boards, and if the pattern was small, I glued two onto one side.  I'm going to keep making these until I run out of patterns.  The twins love them, and they are good for learning how to match color and shapes.  Abriel has already started sorting her pattern blocks, as you can see in the picture.  She is very naturally organized, and likes to line things up or sort them into piles.

Double Trouble

     Since I am making most of the kids Christmas presents this year, I have been grabbing my chances to work on them when ever I can.  Today, after I put the twins down for their nap, I ran out to my little shop to quickly glue and clamp a couple of parts on the wooden stove I am making.  I gave Anna a reading assignment to do until I got back and we could finish her school.  After a few minutes she is finished and bored, so she comes out to visit with me.  Since I am finished gluing, we go on up to the house.  And guess who's smiling at us through the door?  That's right, they're up already.  I wave hi, and try to open the door.  It's locked.  All the doors are locked; all the windows are locked, there is no way into the house.  The only way into the house is to persuade a couple of grinning two year olds that they need to turn the dead bolt to let Mommy in.  Anna and I are standing out in the cold rain trying to coach them into UNLOCKING the door.  Abriel tries, but doesn't seem to understand that you need to turn the knob, not just rattle it, in order to unlock the door.  Samuel seemed to think the problem was in the door knob it's self, as oppose to the dead bolt knob.  He keeps checking the door knob, and when it turns, he grins at me like, "problem solved!"  Abriel rattles the dead bolt again, and smiles.  They seem to think this is hilarious.  It's cold, it's wet, I am beginning to think I will never get inside the house, when Samuel finally figures out the lock and lets us in.  I think he knew how to do it all along.
     Well, at least it's never dull around here.

Sooooo funny!

If It's Quiet, Watch Out!

     Yesterday morning was  little more hectic than our usual; spent trying to get Anna out the door on time for a field trip, and put the house back together after a week end of birthday parties and company.  After Anna had left with her Daddy, I thought I would grab a moment to check my email while the twins were watching TV.  At least I thought  they were watching TV. That is until Samuel came up to me and showed me his orange hands.  Wait, orange hands? How on earth did his hands get orange!  I run into the living room, and this is what I see.

    
     Yes, that is orange soda and apple cider and cream cheese bagels and just about everything else you can think of all over my rug.  Apparently Samuel climbed up to the refrigerator and got down the soda that was left over from Anna's party, then I guess they decided to have a picnic, as the little blanket they use for their pretend picnics was out.  The amazing thing is, that this all took place in just a few minutes, with me not twenty feet away.  I thought they were quietly watching TV.  HA! 

 



Two Peas in a Pod

     Lately the twins have been working together even more than their usual.  I think it has something to do with the fact that they can actually talk to each other now.  Sometimes it's cute, and other times it's scary, as two two year olds can do so much more mischief than one.  Like the time they filled a large cooler up with rocks, and hauled it up to the deck that has no railing,  (and therefore they are not allowed on) and then proceeded to throw the rocks towards are neighbors house. It puts a whole new spin on the terrible twos. 
     From the moment Samuel and Abriel were conceived they have done everything together.  It's no wonder they think alike.  I took these picture durring our nature time at the park today.  Can you tell they're twins?

        A down side to their closeness is that it sometimes leaves Anna out.  She was complaining today that they didn't want to play the same thing she wanted to, and said, "They only want to play their own little games, and I can't even understand what they're talking about."  That does seem to be the case most of the time.

Crayon Holder

     After desperately trying to keep the twins still and quiet for two hours during our co-op commencement ceremony, I vowed to never attend an event like that again without something to entertain them.  When I saw this felt crayon holder tutorial, I knew I had found the perfect take along entertainer.  Nothing can keep my kids quiet longer than a pad and pencil.  I keep two clip boards with a pencil on a string in the car at all times, but these are sooo much more portable and cute too.  I whipped these up quickly, so they lack a little "professional polish", but they were very easy to make.  I am keeping these in an emergency resource bag in my closet.  It also contains several books and a couple of small toys, so I can just grab it and go anytime I need two well behaved kiddos.  (I made one for Anna too, since good behavior should be rewarded as well. :)

Creativity

     I recently read a good blog post on nurturing your children's creativity.  The woman who wrote it obviously puts a lot of time and thought into allowing her daughter's creativity to blossom, and it got me thinking about the the need to encourage creativeness, and more importantly, how not to stifle it.  Anna is naturally a very creative person with a super imagination, (we have only recently said good bye to her imaginary friend, Beedo) and usually just needs to be given the means, and off she will go.  The only thing I need to remember to do with her, is to give her space.  Some times in my eagerness to help, I can take over a project, or kill the process for her.  I can also be a little overly concerned with doing things the "right" way.  This must just be something in my nature, since I don't remember anyone ever telling me the way things should be done, but I remember being horrified in Sunday school when a little girl next to me colored her sky pink.  Because, you know, the sky is blue- no exceptions.  A pink sky would not bother Anna.

     The twins, being two, are just beginning to show their natural tendencies and quirks.  Abriel has a good imagination, and loves to pretend she's a frog or a dog.  Even when we are out, she will crawl around and lick poor unsuspecting people's legs.  ( I don't know why the twins are so uncivilized, I really do try to train them.)    She treats her baby and bear as if they are real, and it is very sweet to see.   Samuel is more down to earth, and so active that he barely has a chance to just "be".  He does love to draw though, and will sit down and carefully draw little tiny circles and squiggles.  I love these drawings because the concentration they require seem so contrary to his nature. 

When you praise his artwork, he beams, and evidently takes a lot of pride in it.  He can also tell you what each little squiggle represents; usually a cat or a truck. 
     When I was teaching my co-op nature class, I had the children keep nature journals, and draw something in it each week.  I was surprised at the amount of kids there were who said they couldn't draw, and were to afraid to even try at first.  I kept telling them, "It doesn't have to be perfect, or look exactly like what you are copying.  All that matters is that you know what it is."  I hope Samuel never grows out of the pure enjoyment he gets from drawing, and the absolute confidence that this little circle is a truck, and this little circle is a cat, even if they might look the exact same to anybody else.

     

    I have been reading "For The Children's Sake" By Susan Macaulay, and beginning to feel guilty for the amount of reading (or I should say 'lack of') I do with the twins.  By the time Anna was two, we were firmly established in a bed time story routine, and we were already moving up to more meaty books.  The twins on the other hand are still at the point and name stage. 
     A couple of nights ago I decided to remedy that situation and start a bedtime story routine with them.  Part of the reason I haven't before, is that the second I open a book around them, they start mauling me, each other, and the book, in order to have the prize position in the middle of my lap.  One on each leg just won't do; it's all or nothing for them.  I think however, I have figured out a trick for peaceful story times.  First I give them a bath, then when they're all cold and wet, I bundle them with blankets on Anna's bed, and then break out the story book.  This has worked so far, I think partly because of the novelty of getting a story read before they've even gotten into pajamas.  I've been reading "Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me?", and they really like the clear simple illustrations depicting things they know and recognize.  I would like to get some more books like that.

Like Day and Night- Potty Training Twins

     Potty training the twins has definitely served to underline just how different they are.  I really don't think there could be two more different people.  Samuel is my enigma.  Everything he does is completely his own, and he rarely does what the books say children are suppose to do.  For instance, I got a little potty seat for the twins when they were eighteen months old.  I didn't expect them to use it that early, but it was on sale.  Samuel showed immediate interest in it, so I took off his diaper and sat him down.  To my surprise he actually peed!  I thought, Wow! this guy is going to be a breeze to potty train.  Only eighteen months, and has bladder control!  He continued to show mild interest for about six months; going on the potty before baths and after diaper changes.  He wasn't ready to be completely diaper free, but I felt this was a good start.  Meanwhile, Abriel wouldn't go near the potty.  She thought it was "yuck" and somehow in the domain of Samuel. 
     After he turned two, Samuel started taking off his diaper and leaving "deposits" on the floor, so I figured it was time to really start the potty training.  He did OK, but but didn't seem to be making any real strides.  I was starting to get a little frustrated. 
     Back to Abriel.  She has suddenly decided to give going in the potty a try, and is soon doing great.  Within a month she is completely diaper free, even staying dry at night.  There's just one problem though; she won't use any other potty but her own little one.  She will not even go in to a public restroom.  So how did Samuel take to his sister's potty proficiency?  He stopped wanting to have anything to do with the potty, except at public restrooms.  Then he boldly goes where no baby has gone before, and shows his sister up in the one area she will NOT go.  So now I have Samuel happily taking his time on the nasty public potty, while I am trying to keep a hold on Abriel, who is in full blown screaming panic mode, and is trying to make a dash for the door.  People are looking at me like I'm crazy, and that I must surely be doing something really terrible to the poor screaming child in my arms. 
     This status quo goes on for a while, with the only time that Samuel goes on the potty is if he can find some new and inventive was of doing it.  Such as sitting on the potty backwards.  I decided to back off with him, and wait until he seemed ready and Abriel was more independent.  She still has to have me, and only me, go with her to the potty every time.  This takes up quite a bit of my time.
    Then something unexpected happens.  Samuel is getting over a stomach bug, and is going poop many times a day.  Diaper changes are a major cramp in his style, since he has to be still for seconds! I think being still is physically painful for him.  Well, I guess he gets tired of it, and comes up to my bed one morning with the announcement, "I go pee-pee." He then proceeds to take off all his clothes, walk by himself to the bathroom, climb on to the big potty, do his business, wipe, climb off, and flush all by himself.  He does this all day without one accident!  He also refuses to let me help him with any part of the process, which is kind of gross, but I was so thrilled I didn't care.  The next day was the same thing; total independence.  I thought, This is it!  Not quite.  As soon as he got over his diarrhea and didn't need all those diaper changes, he quit going in the potty. ARRRRRRRRRRRG!!!!  Some times I just don't get him.

Some Things I've Been Working On

I can't get enough of working with wool, whether it's yarn, felt, or felted wool sweaters.  Here's a few things I've been working on lately.

   Here is a backpack I made for my grandson's Birthday.  It was made from a lambswool pullover I found at Goodwill.  I liked all the different shades of gray in it, and so I tried to incorporate that into the design.  His middle name is Bear, and so of course I had to put a bear on it.

     I continue to love  making felt play food.  Recently I've started working with 100% wool felt as oppose to acrylic.  The difference in how they feel, look, and work, makes the price difference well worth it. 
     The bow tie pasta was super easy to make, and everyone (including Anna) loves "cooking" with it.  I am probably going to have to make a bunch more, since they also enjoy fighting over who gets to play with it.

       The breakfast set is suppose to have two pieces of bacon and two pancakes, but they disappeared before I could take a picture of them.  The pancake showed up later, but the bacon is still

missing.  Was it eaten? 
     All the food is a little smaller than scale.  I have tried to stay fairly consistent with it, since I can remember hating the tiny banana next to the giant donut, and other such scale faux pas in my own play food.

     This is something I whipped up in just a few moments, but it has been extremely useful.  A glasses retainer strap for Abriel.  We had to get her a new pair of glasses to have as a back up pair, (she has already broken her first pair) but the new ones can not be worn with her Croakies retainer strap.  Her glasses fall down her little button nose without a strap, so I thought, why not use my favorite materiel to make a strap?  So here is my felted wool glasses retainer strap.  It is a lambs wool, angora, spandex blend, so it's very soft and has a little stretch.  It seems much more comfortable than neoprene.  It's one flaw is that it is an extreme pain to put back on the glasses after she rips it off.  Which she does, frequently, many times a day, much to the annoyance of her dear Mama.  I am pretty sure I can fix this flaw though, and I will soon be making a new strap.  Right now however, I am off to make a felt pizza.

Glasses for Abriel

     It has been a really long while since I've written anything, but I'm ready to start writing again.  There's no specific reason for the break; I haven't been particularly busier than normal, maybe just more tired. 
     The big news today is that Abriel got her glasses today!  I am very glad that she can finally see, and she looks so durn cute in them too.   So, how did I figure out that my just turned two year old is having trouble seeing?  About a month after Anna's eye surgery, I started noticing Abriel's eye turning in.  At first I thought I was just paranoid; after all Anna just had surgery to correct her exotropia, so I was sort of on  the look out for wandering eyes.  However, it soon became apparent that this was definitely not my imagination.  Here's a picture of her with her eye going in.

     This is not even as extreme as it can get; some times going in so much you can hardly see her iris.  It's not just one eye either, the other one goes in too, and sometimes they cross together.  An appointment to the Ophthalmologist showed that she is very far-sighted and is crossing in an attempt to focus.  But really, other than the eye crossing, she seemed to see fine. 

     That was until she tried on her glasses.  At first she tried to take them off a couple of times, but then  I showed her a book.  She was so excited, she kept saying "Ooo, Eee, look!"  After that she kept them on.   Here she is in all her cuteness.

And the side view.

    
       She took them off a few times this evening, (I found them on her bear once) and has already bent them out of shape a little, (good thing I got that warranty!) but all in all I think she is so thrilled with being able to see that she wants them on.  She even cried when I took them off for her to go to bed.  She told me, "I want gwashes!"

Best Bread Ever

    Whats more fun than play-doh, and can be eaten after you are done playing? Bread dough!  I've been making most of our own bread lately, and have had fun trying out new recipes and experimenting with the tried and true ones, and I think I might have come up with the perfect loaf today. 

     This is something the whole family (well, except for Dave.  Kneading bread doesn't really excite him) gets into.  I could use my mixer to do the needing for me, but I actually like kneading bread, and the kids love it.  I let them keep their little creations, and bake them separate. Frankly, I really wouldn't want to eat anything that's been patted, dropped, licked, and smooshed by miscellaneous body parts. (Does this stick to my tummy?)  So keeping their stuff separate is a good idea.

     Anna and Abriel are very into the whole kneading process, whereas Samuel likes to "cook" with it.  I think the first few times I gave him dough he ate it all before I could bake it, and once he thought it would be fun to knead while going potty.  That one made it to the trash. 
    Anna has started to learn that the whole process needs to take time, and that if you rush it, it wont be as good.  It is a good tool for learning patience and delayed gratification, two seldomly taught virtues these days.  

    Here it is!  The finished loaf.  When it came out of the oven Anna said, "Wow, that looks just like bakers bread!"  Whatever that means.  Maybe it looks "professional".  It was delicious; best bread I've made yet.
Here's the recipe below.








Sandwich Bread from the Joy of Cooking, slightly modified by me
In a large mixing bowl, let stand until dissolved:
 4 tsp yeast
 1/4 cup warm water
Add 1 cup warm milk
1 cup warm water
2 Tlb oil
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl salt
Stir in 2 cups white flour
Gradually stir in 2 1/2 - 3 cups white whole wheat flour
Knead, adding more flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. 
Coat dough with oil, and let rise, covered, until doubled or more in volume. Punch dough down and form into two ovals and place in two 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" bread pans.  I baked mine in one big pan, but I took out quite a bit of dough for the kids.  Let rise again for about an hour or more.  Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes, or until loaves are brown and sound hollow when tapped.  Enjoy!
     

     Some times in the rush of every day life, it becomes easy to only focus on what ever new emergency or necessity is arising, that I can forget the simple joys of being a Mother.  This evening as I was cooking supper, plucking Samuel off from the top of the bookshelf, (that he had scaled for the third time that evening) and being so frazzled I took a swig from the jug of the "miracle grow" water I have for plants, thinking it was my drinking water. (Yuck!) I happen to look over at Abriel and see her pounding away on her wooden xylophone, and belting out a song at the top of her baby lungs.  I had to stop and just look at her, so totally unself conscious, and just living in the moment with her own little song. I love being a mother to funny little people, even when those same little people drive me batty.

Handmade Presents

    This Christmas I decided that I would try to make as many gifts as possible.  With only a few days left til Christmas, I am starting to wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew, but luckily I have finished a few things.   I have three two year old nieces and nephew, so I made them all the same thing in triplicate.  Theirs is finally finished.
      Recently I have fallen in love with felt food.  Some of the stuff people make and sell through their Etsy shops are amazing.  This inspired me to make my own felt food, as I love working with felt, and it seemed like a great Christmas present for toddlers.  So, this is my first felt food- pita pockets!

It's a little smaller than life size, and includes the pita bread, a salami slice, a lettuce leaf, two cucumber slices, and a tomato slice.  It looks real enough that Abriel tried to eat it, but I don't know if that is saying a lot. She'll eat anything that vaguely resembles food.  The salami and bread are actually made out of old sweaters, which, now that I come to think about it doesn't sound that appetizing, but they were very clean old sweaters. 
     Now I can't stop thinking about felt food ideas.  I am going to have so much fun making play food for the twins.  I just hate that I didn't know about this a few years ago, so that I could have made Anna some cool felt food.  I will never go back to plastic!

Tea Time With Toddlers

     I like tea time.  I find it's a nice little pause between lunch and dinner; a time ti sit down and relax while having a bite to eat and sip some delicious tea.  I love tea.  We don't do it once a day (I tried that once, and it ended up being way more work than it's worth) or even once a week, but I do try to do it at least a few times a month. 
     Today I made a coffee cake on a whim, and decided it would be the perfect accompaniment to some tea.  And since I was feeling adventurous, I decided that instead of giving the twins a sippy cup of milk to drink, I would give them their own tea for the first time.  In their very own breakable tea cups.  Surprisingly enough, no disasters happened, and they just loved being big enough to join us for tea.  They liked the tea better than the cake! 

     Of course there were occasional lapses in manners... but hey, they're one!