Musings

Glorious summer!

June 23, 2013 by amanda 3 Comments

This summer has been absolutely dreamy so far. We’ve been building forts, soaking up the sun and salty air, playing board games for hours at a time, reading amazing books, and crafting our hearts out. The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous, and we have finally been here long enough that we are finding our “clan” and have plenty of like-minded friends to hang out with.

Some of our current favorites are:

Bird Bingo – This game has been getting hours of play each day. My oldest is a passionate birder, and it has been great to see everyone else (including the adults) expand our bird-identification skills and have fun at the same time. I also love that reading is not required, so all of my kids can play together.

Qwirkle – Another great board game that is great for all ages. This one allows kids (and adults) to work on strategy, matching, and simple math. We all love it!

Creativebug (and their awesome summer series for kids!) – Creativebug has been a favorite site of mine for months, and we are loving it even MORE since they are offering a ton of great workshops for kids. I have the monthly subscription, and I have taken workshops on embroidery, quilting, dress making, soap making, stamping, upcycling, you name it… They are taught by some of the best teachers (Natalie (Alabama) Chanin, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Karol, Kaffe Fassett, Rebecca Ringquist, Rad Megan, and so many more.) This week the kids and I worked on a quilt, an embroidery sampler, a table runner, and a teepee all inspired by Creativebug.

The picture above is of a wholecloth quilt that I am making, based on one of Anna Maria Horner’s Creativebug classes. The long orange stitches are basting stitches which will come out when I’m all done. 🙂 On the front you can see how I’m quilting around the motif, and the back shows just my stitches in my cotton thread.

The glorious beaches! – We’ve been spending at least one day a week unplugged, feet-in-the-sand, enjoying the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We usually go with friends, and often have the beach to ourselves for at least a good part of our day. Summer camps are incredibly popular in this area, which means that there still aren’t many families out and about, even though school is out. We’re happy that it isn’t crowded, but I feel a little sad that so few people around us are getting to enjoy all of the natural beauty of our area. Soon the fog will be rolling in, and these sunny days will be few and far between on the coast.

Project Based Homeschooling – We’ve always loved project-based learning, and Lori’s book and blog have been a long-time source of inspiration. I signed up for her upcoming master class, and I can’t wait to dig deeper.

This summer, my 11-year-old has decided to focus on an astronomy project. He is reading a ton of books on astronomy, mapping the night sky, and writing about what he sees each evening, inspired by websites like earthsky. We’ve been learning so much!

My 9-year-old is working on version 3 of her dog encyclopedia project. She has worked for several years on compiling information on breeds, illustrating, and writing a book. Each version of her book has been more refined and used additional sources. This year’s book is already looking amazing! I can’t wait to see the end result.

My 5-year-old decided that her project will be learning all about sewing. We’ve been reading lots of books and getting even more time with hands-on learning. It has been great.

So what are you and your family doing this summer? I’d love to hear more. Feel free to drop me an email or comment below. I always enjoy being inspired by other families!

Weekend Meal Plan

December 30, 2011 by amanda Leave a Comment

I really love the fresh start of a new year. 2011 was a toughie. I learned a lot, but I’m ready to move on! Apparently I’m not alone, because 68% of Americans said 2011 was a bad year. I’ll also join the 62% who are optimistic about 2012, though. 🙂

This year I’m hoping to continue to work on organizing and planning. I love storing my recipes on Pinterest. It is great for those times when I can’t decide what I want to eat. I love how visual it is.

The grocery stores were total madness today, so I just did enough shopping to get us through the weekend. Here’s what we’re making over the next 3 days.

All of these links were added with the “embed” feature on Pinterest. To view the original recipes and photos, click on the source link under each picture. To view the pin, click on the picture

Cobb Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette – Source: blogs.babble.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Tilapia Peach Packets – Source: howsweeteats.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Roasted Chickpea Tacos – Source: peasandthankyou.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Happy New Year, everyone!

Embracing the change

December 10, 2011 by amanda 3 Comments

…kind of.

As most of you know, a few months ago my husband’s company was acquired. The new company moved us from Colorado to the San Francisco Bay Area. The deal was certain on a Monday night, and our house was on the market and all of our stuff was moved to the Bay Area by Friday. If you have to move, this part of California is certainly not a bad place to be, so that is the plus side. We have a great house in a beautiful location, and I really like it…. But I’ve still been missing Colorado.

I’ve been feeling so conflicted. I think I’ve resisted embracing California because I don’t want it to seem like a rejection of Colorado. I know… I know… That sounds ridiculous. I think I’ve also been trying to avoid creating any deep friendships, because that seems like it will tie us to the Bay Area. I decided on Thursday night that I need to get over those feelings and start to make some roots here. In the end, I know we’ll be the happiest that way.

As part of an effort to find things to love here, we went to some new places and had a really nice day 🙂 The boys woke up early and went to the beach in San Francisco to watch the lunar eclipse. They said that the moon looked really beautiful over the ocean, and they were able to look through a telescope and see a few planets too. (And, hey! That goes with my recent astronomy obsession, lol.)

This afternoon we went for a hike in the redwoods. I have to admit, there is something really beautiful about big trees. I am such a tree-hugger, and trees make me happy. This particular trail was nestled in an area that looked very middle-earth-y, so that made me think of talking trees. 😉

After our crisp, cool hike, we came home and made homemade hot chocolate with my favorite recipe. I’ll attach my pin to the recipe below. It was awesome (this recipe is fail-proof!), and a perfect end to the day. I am feeling more hopeful that California will hold a special place in our hearts, even if I still intend on moving back to Colorado in a few years. 😉

Source: allrecipes.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Rules for driving in California

September 24, 2011 by amanda 3 Comments

Above: A driver-friendly intersection in San Francisco. Please note that none of these are indicating a U-turn. They are each different roads.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We were sucked out of our life in Colorado and dropped off in Northern California. Since being here, I’ve learned:

Drivers in the Bay Area put one hand in the 10:00 position on the wheel and the other hand firmly on the horn.
Horns should be used for all occasions: Honk when someone goes slower than you’d like; Honk when someone goes faster than you’d like; Honk at pedestrians in a parking lot as you’re driving past (so as to warn them that you are willing to plow them down rather than slow down and wait for them to cross)
If in doubt, be aggressive.
Never yield; Yielding shows weakness. See #3.
If a light is not operating correctly, floor it and lay on the horn.
If you need to get on the freeway, expect the entrance to be on the side opposite of what logic would tell you.
Intersections should include at least 5 different roads.

It probably doesn’t help that our rental van has Alabama license plates (complete with the “Sweet Home” tagline on the top.) I think that makes us look like easy victims.

Luckily, my husband (who, in our former life, once considered honking our horn, but didn’t press hard enough on the wheel because he was concerned about the loud noise), has taken to California driving like a pro. He is cutting people off like the best of them. I think we’ll be OK.

Gratefulness

August 15, 2011 by amanda 1 Comment

I’m currently reading The Happiness Project. I’m enjoying it. I kind of like to hear about all of the different things that people adjust in their lives in order to feel happier. I find it particularly fascinating that people often choose to focus on tasks that are the opposite of what other people might choose. For example, some people need to learn to say “yes” more, and others need to learn to say “no” more. Some people need to learn to do one thing at a time, and others need to learn to do everything at once. As I’ve read, I’ve thought a lot about which categories I fall into. I like books that make me think 🙂

Also, I really like reading about the small things that people choose to remember. One of the points of the book is that we need to be intentional about remembering the happy times if we want them to have the maximum benefit. I feel like my last 6 months (since my mom was diagnosed with leukemia) have gone by in a whirl, so I want to be more mindful to experience the great times in the moment AND remember them later.

While reading, I came across this quote from William Edward Hartpole Lecky. I have definitely thought this during the past 6 months.

There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed.

No kidding. We need to love and live each day to the fullest, because who knows what tomorrow might bring? I’ve been trying to remember to appreciate each day as it comes, rather than looking forward to the way things might be some day, because that “some day” may not look like I plan.

So, on that note: I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for!

I am so grateful for my family.

My 1-year-old made the shift today from calling me “mama” to calling me “mommy”. It is such a little thing, but it is another step down the road to her growing up. Last night she was teething and woke up… I don’t know… a billion and a half times. Each time she woke up, she said, “MOMMY!” …I won’t lie, I would’ve been perfectly happy with only hearing it once or twice while I was trying to sleep, LOL. Still, though, it made me smile when I was in that half-asleep, half-awake state. I think I was dreaming that she needed me to help her put puzzle pieces together, because the kids and I have been working on a really hard Big Ben puzzle.

Speaking of which, I am very thankful for the time that I’ve gotten to spend this weekend with my older two. They’re really enjoying doing a big puzzle with me. I haven’t done a puzzle in so long, because the last 10 years of my life have been spent with toddlers running around… and toddlers and big puzzles usually don’t mix. I thought my older two would enjoy trying a puzzle, though, so I picked one up on a whim. My husband took our younger two out last night, so my 9-year-old, my 7-year-old and I had a serious puzzling nerd-fest. It was awesome. It reminded me of a time at my Grandma’s house when I was able to join in on a puzzle with the adults. I remember how grown up I felt, and I recognized the same excitement in my kids. Too cute.

Also, while we worked on the puzzle, I had the chance to sit and listen as my kids pondered the greed of world leaders and the sadness of war. They talked a lot about the wars that we’ve studied in history, from the ancient Mesopotamians to current times. I am thankful that I had the chance to soak in their wisdom. I don’t know how I ended up with such smart kids.

And, then, my 3-year-old. How could I not be thankful for her? Today, as my older two worked on creative writing assignments for homeschool, she decided to write a story too. Her story was about a quesadilla. I must admit: She did a very good job of writing out the Q, U, E, S (which looks like a Z, but don’t count that against it) and A. It was so cute, watching her slightly wink her right eye, stick her tongue out, and concentrate on drawing the best possible “Q”. I know from experience that it is too easy to forget about these small steps. When I look at my 9-year-old, it is already getting hard to remember the days when he was this small. Sure, I remember the big things, but the day-to-day memories are starting to fade. Thank God for my journals!

quesadilla — Q-U-E-S-A (although it looks more like "Z-Q-U-A-E", LOL)

So… what are you grateful for today? May you have a day that is enjoyed to the fullest! <3

Allowing our culture to shape our lives

May 7, 2008 by amanda 3 Comments

This concept seems to be popping up all around me, so I thought it’d be interesting to discuss.

Yesterday I was watching The Story of Stuff and I was really struck by how much the culture influences our choices. The part that really got to me was when she talks about the way that we are pressured into buying something new even when we have a perfectly good, but older, version of the same thing at home. So, for example, I have an iPod Nano, but there’s a new one out that looks more sleek. When I’m at the gym, everyone knows that mine is the older one. It works perfectly fine. I don’t need a bigger one. Despite all of this, it is obvious to everyone that I haven’t bought a new one in a while, and I’ve had people make comments. Its ridiculous.

Most people just toss theirs in the trash when they buy a new one, and then there are all sorts of toxins and plastics that will take hundreds of years to break down, if they ever do. That doesn’t even count all of the toxins and trash that was made just to create that iPod (and the newer, sleeker one that I would have then bought). The metals and other resources in there will be completely lost, and it is all only because of pressure to change to be like everyone else and to show that I have wealth.

This morning I was watching The Independent Lens as they showed a documentary on The Men of Hula. They talk about how men did hula up until the white man came, and it was quickly shunned. People started to buy into the American idea that men shouldn’t move their hips that way and they should play football instead. It is still difficult for men who want to hula today because the culture has changed and they have lost so much of their richness as Hawaiians. There is a movement to bring back the Hawaiian culture and to stop being ashamed, but several generations now have stopped speaking Hawaiian and carrying on their special traditions just because they were told that it was a low-class activity.Â It is amazing that we are willing to give up so much of our history and what makes us unique just to fit in.

The same thing happened with breastfeeding during my mom and Grandma’s time. They each faced a lot of culture pressures to do something completely unnatural (formula feed) just so that they wouldn’t look poor. Although this is getting better in some areas, this stereotype still remains for millions of women and contributes to millions of deaths. According to UNICEF, if every baby were exclusively breastfed from birth to six months, an estimated 1.3 million lives would be saved each year. Most of these babies are formula fed because the mothers feel some kind of pressure, either from medical professionals or their culture. It is so sad!

I am always amazed when I step back and look at all of the things that we blindly accept because everyone else is doing it. My great Grandfather always said that “The masses are asses.”, and I totally get what he was saying. The masses will buy into all sorts of destructive ideas just because everyone else is doing it. Its so sad, and I get sucked in just as much as everyone else does.