Category Archives: Mothering

Handmade Christmas

I finally did. I have been wanting to have a handmade Christmas for a long time, but didn’t think it would really work for the children. The adults in my family have enjoyed it for several years now with each of us trying to come up with something special to make for the others. For example this year I made salted caramel sauce and truffles for my sister and she made us homemade root beer and birch beer. I should say that I am so blessed that I come from a family where handmade is normal. My grandfather loved working with wood and my grandmother started a line of women who sew, knit, crochet, embroider, can, cook from scratch and bake and really anything else they decide to try.

So I was getting a little fed up with the story of Santa Claus. My children were becoming completely focused on what they were getting and as you can imagine the requests were getting more elaborate including this year a pony and an Xbox. I had been telling the children “don’t ask Santa for that because I will tell him no you can’t have it.” Finally we watched a VeggieTales about Saint Nicholas together and I explained the truth. I also told they children I wanted them to focus on giving rather then getting so I looked for projects we could work on together for the children. I found so many options out there that with the exception of legos (one toy I don’t mind splurging on) and a video game we could play together the majority of our Christmas presents were handmade. And the children loved it. They were even excited to see their siblings open their gifts. That is what I want to see. Here are some of our favorites from this year.

I saw these blocks on pinterest and thought they were so cute. I followed the instructions and had them printed on sticker paper about our local print shop. I think these were definitely a favorite for Mavis and Avril to make. I also made the carrying bag.

I saw this dinosaur tail pattern and thought of my little paleontologist. She loves rocks and dinosaurs and her favorite toy is her “Mommy t-rexy.” Obviously it was a hit.
 

 
I saw instructions for making magnetic paper dolls and put my own spin on them. I used these dolls but they were not colored so I had lots of fun coloring them with my husband’s art set. I did have difficulty finding the right size tin so I ended up order a tin CD case from etsy. I then had to print the dolls a bit smaller to fit the tin. I think I printed at 65%. I used mode modge to attach a colorful backing paper and then glued the doll parts directly to the tin. I used a roll of magnet I got at Michaels for the clothes. The magnetic canvas had a sticky side so  I put the clothes on the sticky side and cut them out. Now I need to make another set so they can play together.
 

For my littlest man I finally made the “quick change trousers” from Handmade Beginnings. So much fun I made 2.

Other projects were cutting down Cambodian sarongs to fit the girls and a pair of pants for Two.

We also wanted gifts to spark creativity. So Avril got a face painting set and book. She painted Mavis’ face then Proeun did the rest of them. What a fun evening.

For extended family we asked for clothes, books or games. My sister is the queen of games so she helped extend our family game night by giving the kids some of her favorites. So all in all it went pretty well. We still were able to give fun gifts, we didn’t fill our house with things that will break easily and the children were actually excited about their gifts and what was even better for me, they were excited to give each other gifts. Yes we had a very blessed Christmas.

Celebrating Christmas with Significance

Maybe it is just where I am at in my personal journey but Christmas just seems so much more significant this year then I ever experienced before. I had wonderful Christmases as a child, so much so that there would be a huge letdown after Christmas. Then as a young bride it was a bit hard to recreate, seems like I was always too busy to pause much. But this year is amazing. We are on our dream farm, literally living our dream all year round. And this time of the year is our “off-season” where we are very protective of our family time since we are so busy the rest of the year. But what makes it so wonderful, I think it is the pausing. 

We did our Christmas shopping early, often opting for on-line versions so I didn’t have to navigate crowds. And we kept it minimal. Proeun and I were noticing a case of the “galloping gimmes” (from the Berenstein Bears) and were trying to figure ways to give the children a joy of giving, so we decided to do mostly homemade gifts and get the children involved. They are not as involved as I would like but it is definitely a step in the right direction. 
This spring we bought a piano but I haven’t had much chance to play. Now that the Christmas season is here we are focusing on learning Christmas carols. 
We started with 2 carols for the girls to sing in the choir at church. Since Mavis doesn’t read yet and Avril is not proficient enough to read and sing (though once she knows the song the words help her remember) they had to memorize all the verses for “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Once is Royal David’s City.” It was a fun exercise for all of us. And they loved singing in the choir.
I didn’t do as much crafting this year, other than the presents. I wanted to spend the month working on it but instead am focusing on Christmas stories and music to make the time significant, though Avril did make a lovely table runner with her aunt that really dresses up the table.
The children have been asking for a gingerbread house though, so when I saw a kit for a gingerbread barn I thought it would be perfect. However 4 adults and five children couldn’t figure out how to make it stay erect so it became a cookie decorating party.
The younger ones thought this was a much better idea anyway.
And so did grandpa. I had to remind myself that Christmas memories don’t need to be perfect.
I will post after Christmas about some of our projects but here are some resources for making the season more significant.
The Nativity Story, we kicked off the season with this and loved it, I hadn’t seen it before but it was perfect for setting the mood.
Advent and Christmas is Family Worship, our first year using this. I love it though it took some getting used to, also incorporates songs, better for older children but younger ones love the songs and repeating the verses.
Truth in Tinsel, we used this more last year and it is wonderful. Takes a bit more prep because there are crafts involved, but the younger ones get it more. Also has prompts to add to an advent calendar (I really want to do that next year and make an advent wreath).
And don’t forget to sing, sing all day long. We have Christmas CDs going all day long. And bake, and talk and love and just be. Merry Christmas!

creating art

Imagine a world without great music, or art, one in which Mozart’s genius was stifled by the neccessary duty of going to school or Michaelangelo’s art was censored by the common ideas of the time. Imagine a world where everyone ate the same things, where they all dressed the same and talked the same. A world in which you could never excel past your “peers” or radical ideas were stifled.

This is not a political blog, this is a blog about farming, living close to the earth and family, creating a life worth living. But I am troubled. In school I honestly idealized the social contructs of Scandinavian nations. They seemed to have it all together. But now after having children of my own and thinking more about the life I want to live I realize there are very real and harsh consequences of those of us who choose to live outside societal norms both there and here. One is that of constant criticism. Whether you want to make your own healthcare decisions or at least demand that your doctors inform you of all your options, or you choose to raise your children at home and educate them there, whether you want to make decisions about the foods your eat based on your personal convictions and many of the decisions we must make on a daily basis that don’t jive with common culture all bear much criticism. Sometimes it is hard to focus on the fact that I am crafting a life, I am creating art. Art that some would wish to censor.

There has been much chatter about the quote by MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry, stating, “break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents” and recognize that “kids belong to whole communities.” Her comments were met with outlash by the right and some people who would do well to just stay quiet for once. I must admit I was a little nervous. I make regular decisions that are not supported by my larger community. Later she said, “I believe wholeheartedly, and without apology, that we have a collective responsibility to the children of our communities even if we did not conceive and bear them. Of course, parents can and should raise their children with their own values. But they should be able to do so in a community that provides safe places to play, quality food to eat, terrific schools to attend, and economic opportunities to support them. No individual household can do that alone. We have to build that world together. So those of you who were alarmed by the ad can relax. I have no designs on taking your children…”

I am glad she restated and now we can understand each other better. We must all be careful what we say,

Little ears are listening. And what I hope they are hearing is that their mom believes in raising them in the beauty of the home, the shelter of my arms and that I will fight for that right. I am constantly aware of the fact that art is dangerous, none more so then the lives we lead, the decisions we make.

A Sick Kitty

It was quite the weekend–a teaching weekend to say the least. On Saturday morning our chicks arrived. Though I have done it couple times already it still makes me nervous handling those little chicks and dipping their little beaks in water and releasing them into the brooder. Exciting but scary.

Then we had a sick kitty to take to our vet. Remember here when I talked about getting two kittens for the children right after Mavis was born around 4 years ago. Those kittens became babies and were carried around the house just like them and became part of the family and the children’s best friend. Well one of them had been loosing weight and vitality. I hadn’t really noticed the gradual change since I see him every day. Then it got to the point that it was too noticeable to miss. And we were off the vet with a sick kitty right after being up early with chicks. I thought maybe he just had worms, but after some tests the vet thought he might have feline leukemia or liver problems, but we would have to wait an half hour to find out. So we did our weekly shopping and it was seriously the worst shopping trip of my life. The children kept asking about Austin and I am the type that imagines the worst so I am thinking we might have a dead kitty by the end of the day.

Of course when you have children it is not only your own grief you have to deal with but model healthy grief to teach your children how to deal with the sad things in life they will inevitably have to encounter. I was praying like crazy for the strength to deal with not only my own grief but the childrens.

After the tests came back it was the liver but not a chronic problem. So we are trying to flush him out with fluid and getting him eating and drinking and some energy. This means hourly feedings and some fluid injections. It was quite the weekend, but better then I expected. At one point Avril said to me, “Are you doing all these things for Austin because he is my cat and you know I love him?” Yes baby yes I am.

But also I want to model the care and service that will give you a fulfilling life. Nothing like saving a life over the weekend–even a cat’s life to make you realize that a life of service is not a drudgery but very rewarding. I hope that I can teach to children that taking care of the gifts God has given us is definitely the best use of our time. Austin is not out of the woods yet, but he is successfully eating and drinking through a syringe and I am hopefully that with continued assistance he will soon be his old perky self.

Family Circles

The weather around here is getting a bit warmer. While I of course am looking forward to the coming season I feel a bit sad to leave behind the short days of winter spent close to home and surrounded by family. Nothing like the winter to allow you to slow down and contemplate life a bit. As I said here this year I working on centering and bringing the important things of life into focus.

Part of that is a focus on homeschool. The children are getting older and their work is getting progressively more indepth. Then next year I will add a 3rd child to our homeschooling circle not to mention an infant and pre-schooler. So it is time to get organized and focused. One resource I find invaluable is Family Circles from Doorposts. Doorposts is a Christian resource for families. Family Circles however can be used by everyone. It is a great tool for focusing your attention on spending individualized time with each of your family members.

I started using this and discovered that I really don’t talk to my children. . . I mean really talk like know what they are thinking and dreaming about and taking the time to explore the feelings behind behaviors. Since starting using this and other resources from Doorposts I am happy to say the atmosphere is getting wonderful in our house. It is multi-fold, relationships and intellects growing and children glowing.

So I am hanging on to winter a bit longer, I think it will probably end up being my favorite time of the year. So I encourage you before the warmer weather, and busy traveling and growing season make sure you take some quiet time to sit and talk with your kids–read a great book, play some board games, make a special dinner together, and most importantly talk. And once you develop the habit keep on keeping on.

Postpartum Survival

I remember when Two was born. He was our first baby and born unexpectedly at 35 weeks, which means early. Proeun had saved up alot of sick time and the Doctor said he should be home for 7 weeks to help with nurse our son up to a full-term weight. We went home to our little cave and virtually stayed there day in and day out for weeks. Just the 3 of us. We were tired and exhausted, our schedule was off but we were together and looking back things were actually pretty peaceful.

When Avril was born Proeun was working overtime to try and support the family on one income. He did take 2 weeks off but all too quickly it was just me and our 2 babies for what seemed like weeks at a time.

Mavis I thought I had it all together. We had a routine down, Proeun was working only 40 hours a week, and our family was settling into a nice schedule. We had a very clear game plan for our family and were ecstatically happy with both where we were and where we hoped to go.

This time around I realize that things are different. Wednesday we tried to take all the children out of the house to run some errands. It took us 20 minutes to get everyone in the car, not to mention trying to walk around a store and keep it all together. I thought, “there is no way I can do this by myself.” and I realized that something has got to change. I need to plan, organize and be more proactive in our family. Our home needs to be more organized, this feeling of organization I hope will go with the children when we leave the house and make it easier for the children to organize their behavior.

To help me start out I ordered Large Family Logistics

I have been reading a little of it here and there and making plans. I will keep you posted as I make improvements to our family schedule and lifestyle. I have added a post catagory called, “Family Logistics.” Along the way though I do have to say I have been feeling very bluesy and out of control. Yesterday I read a really good quote from the book I would like to share. . .

Motherhood is a life of sacrfice: it is a life poured out for our children. So what are we to do to get some space from it all? When we are honest with ourselves, we know that it is not “Me Time” we need or “Girls’ Night Out.” Children are not a burden to escape or endure: they are a blessing that drives us to Christ because we are incapable of parenting well without Him. God is who we need. While there are helpful strategies we can employ in order to have a more peaceful day with our children, the number one thing we must do it to deny Self and cling to the cross. pg. 87

That helped put things in perspective. That’s right I can’t do this by myself, luckily I don’t have to.

Induction of Labor . . .Naturally

Effie Luoth is finally here. While we had hoped for homebirth things did not turn out that way. Finally after waiting and waiting and waiting we decided that going into the hospital would be our best option. By the time we arrived we were already dialated to 8-9 but still no contractions. Luckily the only thing labor needed to really getting going was breaking my water. Effie was born about 1 1/2 hours later.

While labor was really intense it was relatively quick and in the end we had our beautiful “little” baby. Yes Effie was good sized. The official weight was 9′ 12″ and 21 1/4″ long with a head of 14 1/2. I was able to get her out in 2 pushes and one contraction but I could definitely tell that she was much bigger then my other children.

My mother was able to arrange her schedle to watch the older children and luckily as we expected it didn’t take too long.

One negative as far as the children are concerned with a hospital birth was after meeting their sister they had to wait a whole day for mama and baby to come home. When they found out I would have to stay in the hospital they asked if Effie could come home. The biggest challenge currently is monitoring the baby holding partially for safety but also so no one monopolizes the baby too much.

I was surprised that Two who never really talked about the baby before she was born is so addicted to her now.

I think she looks like Proeun’s dad and my sister-in-law said the same thing but Proeun says he can’t tell.

The talk of the hospital was the girls and what a handful they would be for Two as he grew older.

Now we are settling into a home routine. It feels like ages since I have had a new born even though I know it’s only been 2 years. Looking back I can’t believe have done this 4 times but am so thankful for each of them. Our house seems literally bursting with life.

10 Days and counting

Yes I am actually overdue by 10 days! Apparently there was a neighborhood “pool” as to whether I would have the baby on Halloween or All Saint’s Day. I guess the joke is on me. Not even election day. Blue Collar Daughter our friend and neighbor even felt the situation worthy of mention on her blog. Maybe it will drum up a bunch more prayers for me.

Yesterday we went in for a “biophysical profile,” a special kind of ultrasound that looks at the baby’s breathing and swallowing reflexes, placenta health and umbilical cord blood flow. The verdict is the fetal health is “just dandy,” and I will simply have to wait a bit longer. Based on the size of the baby (8 lbs 13 oz, approximately) the profile gave me a new due date of November 1st. So I am still over due but only by 2 days versus 10 according to last period.

At my last prenatal yesterday it seemed like things were finally changing. For those in the know dialated to 4-5 versus 3. The midwife said that once you get to this point it moves relatively quickly, whereas you can sit at 3 for several weeks. Don’t I know it, try 9 weeks. So hopefully soon, like today would be good.

Meanwhile the list of things that I was planning on starting once the baby comes continues to grow, like a reading program for Two, organizing and putting away our greenhouses and other farm equipment, analyzing our season and recording output from our field, and cooking on a regular basis again. Today I finally made bread again, for the first time in at least 9 weeks. I had run out of the homemade bread my grandmother gave me while on bedrest and grown oh so tried of “boughten bread” as my grandmother would say.

This weekend we tried a few more home remedies to start labor including
-caulophyllum 200X (a homeopathic treatment)
-labor tincture with blue and black cohash and wild ginger from Minnesota Herbalist
-hiking up and down the hills of Battle Creek Regional Park
-and taking the children on a marathon trick or treat session. Avril started saying her bucket was too heavy and I knew it was time to go home.

For those interested here are my little blessings in full regalia for the day.

We had a lion, spider man, and Chinese princess. Proeun did all the face painting. I thought for sure this year would be a “baby’s first Halloween” but no luck. And so we wait a bit more. On a side note looks like we have another “feisty,” strong-willed female joinging the family. During the ultrasound she kept kicking away the instrument and obviously she has a mind of her own. I wonder where all these girls get it?

Overdue!! Still waiting for Baby

Avril trying to coax the baby out with sweet words and a kiss.

Yes we are actually officially “overdue”! None of my other 3 pregnancies have gone this long. It certainly seems odd that the one that could potentially have ended in the shortest amount of time has now gone overdue. I know all the jargon about how a due date is just an estimate and how really anything between 37-42 weeks gestation is considered normal, but seriously. I have been dilated to 3 for about 8 weeks now and the baby’s head is so low they couldn’t even get a good shot of it on the ultrasound when I went in the hospital way back on the 10th of September. The midwives have been telling me that they don’t often see women walking around dilated to 3 with the head completely engaged (they estimated around station 2 with 5 being completely out).

So a week ago Saturday I started seriously trying to encourage this baby to make its appearance. Here are some of the things I tried.

1. rubbed castor oil on my belly
2. external massage to stimulate contractions
3. visualization and meditation
4. Evening Primrose OIl capsules 3 times a day for 7 days
5. One glass of basil root tea a day for 7 days (remedy from my mother-in-law).
6. On the 16th I drank 2 oz of castor oil mixed with 2 oz of orange juice every hour for 3 hours. Supposedly labor was supposed to start within 3-5 hours of the last dose. It didn’t I just had a really really miserable night.
7. This Eggplant Parmesan Recipe that claims to have helped 300 babies come into the world within 48 hours.

And of course we have tried the good old fashioned #1 labor inducing activity but to no avail.

Last night I was saying something about when the baby comes and Two said, “Who? Mavis?” When I said “No the new baby.” He said, “Oh I forgot we were having a baby.”

Seriously after 40 weeks of pregnancy and thinking the baby could literally come “any day now” for 8 weeks it is really easy to wonder, “Is there really a baby in there?” and “Will it ever come out?” It will right? Eventually? I must be close by now.

Much needed R and R

There is something about sleeping animals and children. I was trying to think of what I should write about today and then walked in the bedroom and saw Austin sleeping like this and had to smile, run and get my camera and then I knew what I would write about.

As any mom of small children knows sometimes vacations are not all that relaxing–especially when missed naps are involved. So I am actually getting my R and R now. Thursdays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week. I love packing our CSA boxes, infact it is probably my favorite on farm work. Then I get to deliver all the boxes. I made a deal with the children that if they sleep while I am delivering boxes (read quiet ride) they can skip nap. They normally try to do that. Finally we have a really good excuse to stay home all evening and get things done around the house, or not as in the case of today.

Since the children got to skip nap today I took a solo one, a nice treat, plus I got to journal, cuddle with Austin and read a bit. A very nice day all in all.

For those home cooking tonight here is our Newletter for this week.