My sweet little ogres...

One minute we're outside, riding bikes jacket-free. The next minute, we're bundled to the max, wearing boots and slurping soup. The cold weather has virtually no impact on the girls - they are in such a groove right now with one another... all day long, they move from playing Shrek and Fiona to coloring to the dollhouse to singing/dancing to legos to reading to pretending to be Maria and Liesel. I have always thought, in my back of my mind, that we should separate them occasionally - give each one some one-on-one time without the other. But we've just never seen it as a necessity - they get along so well the vast majority of the time that we just roll with it. Over the past couple of weeks, the tides have turned: if I'm running an errand, one might choose to go and one stay, which never happened before; they both always stuck together. However, during a split over the weekend, a song came on the car radio to which Elise commented "this would be much more fun to sing with Abby here". Upon returning home, John shared that, while playing "dizzy games", Abby commented "I wish Elise was here to play dizzy with me". 

Clearly, we think siblings are important (including the soon-to-be baby of the family who is currently kicking at about the same rate that I'm typing). But having the companionship of a twin is amazing and I love that we've kept them together - in so many families, especially when there are age differences, older ones head off to preschool when the babies are just becoming interactive. I feel like keeping the girls together has provided them with the time and the opportunities to learn how to navigate a truly intimate relationship, skills I have to believe will be powerful in future relationships. 

Toss A Toy

Ahhhh.... is there anything better than a little sunshine and fresh air? Why yes, yes there is: Sunshine and fresh air and a clean car and chickens! Perfect score!

Abby and Elise - you spent the afternoon outside yesterday, pretending to be Laura and Mary from Little House on the Prairie. As you can see in the pic, Abby, your pants are soaked from scooping and pouring the remaining snow/sludge/water. Elise, your hands were completely covered in mud, which you so proudly stated "made you look just like Laura", a fellow nature-lover. Abby, you made sure to give Pip some love because, according to you, "the chickens have not been held very much lately", which is entirely true. 

Some dirt, a few containers/pots, shovels to scoop with, fresh air, and a few chickens - those were the ingredients yesterday for happy kids. That's it. And the chickens are really an added bonus - this recipe could easily be pulled off without poultry. Sometimes I just have to sit back and watch the girls as they play as my reminder of how fulfilling the simplicity is. Peruse this blog entry: Why Fewer Toys Will Benefit Your Kids. Each and every bullet-point is an absolute "must" in my book-o-parenting. And if replacing a toy with an extra shovel or trading in the cute shoes for durable outdoor boots gets us one step closer, I'm all in! Yesterday was proof of how worthless toys can be and how much I love the continued influence of Laura and Mary Ingalls. 

Mindful parenting

As a parent, I feel one of my most important jobs is mindfully choosing what our children are exposed to. This comes in the form of food/diet... media/screen time... social experiences and peer interactions... books.. play and toys... language... The list goes on endlessly. But the process of thinking through each of these avenues of exposure has allowed us to create a home where nothing is off limits. It doesn't feel restricting to the adults - rather it feels freeing as our girls can "free range" their entire natural environment. And it is that very environment that I believe should be the foundation for a A and E's perspective on what is right/wrong, good/bad, happy/sad, boring/entertaining. 

No screen time has virtually eliminated unnecessary desires - without the bombardment of commercials and disney characters and animated action figures, the girls do not see those objects as necessary to play. By being a "maker" and taking so much pride in the things I personally create, the girls already take tremendous pleasure in giving and receiving homemade gifts (I couldn't have been more proud watching the excitement on Abby and Elise's faces when they gave handmade bracelets to two of their cousins for Christmas). I have to believe that listening to John play the piano is an influence in Abby saying just yesterday "Mom, I really am ready for piano lessons to start again". 

As mentioned previously, we're enthralled with the Little House on the Prairie books right now. I cannot stress enough how wonderful I believe these books are for children. It may seem old-fashioned, but it exemplifies a family unit who works and plays together, respects one another, and finds great happiness in the little things life brings. The girls in the book each receive a piece of candy for Christmas one year and our girls' faces lit up while reading that chapter - A and E recognized how amazing that gift was and never once commented on it being nothing more than a simple piece of candy. The picture below speaks to what we are doing - Christmas morning, our girls received books, a new shirt each, and a candy cane (thank you to The Merc, as usual, for supplying candy canes made with real cane sugar and no artificial dyes!). It was sheer happiness over a simple piece of candy. I don't think our girls are deprived; I think their world is rich with everything a child should have and that which they are deprived of are the things we have mindfully left out.

The eight nights of Hanukkah

This week, the menorah went down and the christmas tree went up. 'Tis the season! 

As I do every year, this month makes me really think about "needs" and "wants" and everything in between. I read recently that one of the critical steps in raising grateful children is to NOT give them everything they want. The holidays are a time of giving, right? But I guess everyone has their own definition of "giving" - for us, it comes in many forms... many small forms... many intangible forms... 

I want the girls to be grateful, not greedy... appreciative, not entitled... content, not needy. Thus far, I feel like we're doing a pretty good job. We continue to keep toys to a minimum, screen time and gadgets practically non-existent, and gifts that are about quality, not size and quantity. If I had to name one of Abby and Elise's greatest 5-year old strengths, it would be their ability to PLAY. They can play anywhere, anytime, with anything. Maybe some people think our children are deprived... I think they've been given the greatest gift of all: the gift of creativity. If they don't have a pretend loaf of bread to put in Dorothy's basket, they don't ask us to buy one - they used a paper towel roll. When Mary Poppins needed an umbrella, they didn't ask us to replace the broken one - they draped a doll blanket over the top of a drumstick, creating a perfectly-shaped closed umbrella. Poor, poor deprived children. 

Here's the Hanukkah gift rundown:
- Night one: 2 new Berenstain bear books each
- Night two: Sketch pad and set of colored pencils each
- Night three: Handmade nightgowns with a matching nightgown for their favorite bears (made by Gran with love)
- Night four: Lego building set each
- Night five: Sleeping bags from Gran and Grandpa
- Night six: Animal legos to go with the houses from night four
- Night seven: Dinner on the Plaza to see the lights
- Night eight: 1 Little House on the Prairie book each and a DVD of a Disney Little House on the Prairie mini-series

Our house doesn't look like a truckload of new toys was dumped inside of it. I'm not scrambling to find places to store all of the plastic. But I am enjoying watching them build, listening to them read, and snuggling on the living room floor for rest time in new sleeping bags. They have both asked if we can go to the Plaza again next year for Hanukkah, all of the new books have been read over and over and over again, and the coordinating bedtime attire is really damn cute. It was a great eight nights and I get the feeling the girls are grateful for each and every gift. 

Suddenly September

Wowsers. It's September! I bailed on the photo-a-day in August.. never started September... and abandoned the blog for two weeks. I guess that's what happens when school starts, right? It is back to the grind in mid-to-late August and we are deep in our studies about:

Insects...

Farm animals...

Reading and writing...

Music:

Physical Education:

Snack time...

And social skills...

Kindergarten is off to a pretty good start. I guess being back to the grind isn't so bad after all, huh?

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #20: Stairs

Stairs... inflatable stairs... in a bounce house. Say what???? The giant, inflatable structures within which children fling themselves about with reckless abandon until red-faced and sweaty sit in the part of my brain entitled "DO NOT ENTER", along with amusement parks, public pools, and the giant car shopping carts at the grocery store. If you partake in any of the above, please don't be offended! My quirks are no reflection on you. Now, please stop rolling your eyes at me and start shouting "I told you so!!!" because (obviously) the girls loved it. 

Simmer down, Summer

Recently, I'm pretty sure I used the phrase "stop and smell the roses". I also, on multiple occasions, have soap-boxed the evils of the over-scheduled life. And let me tell you - after the past 3 weeks around here, I am even more solid in my belief that quality has nothing to do with quantity. 

Lake trip to Bull Shoals with Aunt Ali, Uncle Mike, and Cousins: Stella, Bret, Mia, and Max. Elise LOVED going tubing with Stella. Abby thought our "cottage" was perfect.

John's drum performance at the pool with our sweet, sweet Baby Charlie (not our pup, obviously!)

First trip to the Kansas City Zoo with the Littlejohn crew! We traveled to Africa and back with Auntie Sara, Kate, Julia, Lucy, and Anderson.

We also started piano lessons - twice a week this month. I'm teaching two Baby Sing and Sign classes a week right now. There was a week-long morning class at the Arts Center...

Please don't read what I'm NOT saying - the people and the places that have filled our days so far this summer are making memories with us! Would I be filling your screen with the these pictures if we had any regrets???? Do the faces in those pictures look anything but happy???? But that is the struggle - finding a happy medium without turning down invites or opportunities that might be too special to pass. I know that we're tired. I know that we are off-kilter. I know that we are homebodies who thrive off of the comfort of each other in our own home. 

This has been a great learning experience for me - we don't "do" over-scheduled. Abby is having night terrors this week - they'll pass, but I have no doubt that she is unsettled and exhausted. Her shrieking then wakes Elise in a terrible what-the-hell-is-wrong kind of way. All of that then wrecks me in a my-poor-baby kind of way. 

Deep breath - in and out. Calendar cleared. Summer simmering down. 

Give Your Daughters Power tools... and Measuring Cups

Not necessarily at the same time - the power tools and measuring cups. But at some point, I hope that my daughters get as much enjoyment and pride as I do from using everything from a DeWalt drill to a pastry cutter. I don't want Abby to ever be "the one who ____" or Elise to be "the one that ___". Yes, I want them to develop incredible, individual personalities... preferences ... likes ... dislikes. But, especially with twins, I don't want their identity to be attached to one, single quality. It is a huge pet-peeve of mine when, early on, people refer to a child as "the tomboy" or "the girly one" or "the rule follower". Those labels take hold; those labels become an identity at a time when their existence, when left to their own devices, may be fleeting. Abby and Elise watch me cook, bake, sew, build, run, read, write, teach, garden... they watch John play piano and drums, mow, wash windows and cars, vacuum, cook, read, draw, bike. Every experience and activity, when presented in a "you could do this" way, adds yet another rung on the infinite ladder that the girls will climb through their life. Some of those rungs will be strong and will form a foundation for something else; some of those rungs won't take hold. But the more, the better... possibilities truly are endless.

With power tools, I built birdhouses this weekend. My mom decked out the fronts with her beloved rusty stuff. :) These birdhouses, originally designed by my Dad, are for the Douglas County Extension Master Gardener Demonstration gardens - my mom has been instrumental in creating and maintaining these gardens and I feel honored to have some of my handiwork displayed there:

With measuring cups, I made waffles. Hearty, whole wheat waffles made with love by my pajama-wearing assistants. Bake, build, eat, and enjoy. Just leave the labeling to the clothing makers. :)

Whole Wheat Waffles

• 1/4 C organic butter; melted
• 1 T local honey
• 1 1/4 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C organic stone ground whole wheat flour
• 2 T organic ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 C local whole milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• Juice and zest of 1 organic orange
• I originally posted this recipe here but have made a few changes since
• Melt butter; add honey
• Combine dry ingredients
• Beat egg whites to stiff peaks
• Combine wet ingredients, except egg whites, with orange juice/zest, and butter/honey
• Add wet to dry; fold in egg whites
• Bake in a lightly oiled waffle iron
• Top with fresh organic strawberries and organic maple syrup. Obviously.

Sweet Mother Nature

Several years ago, I read the book Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. I also had the pleasure of hearing this author speak in Kansas City. As I'm typing this, I have a feeling that I've probably referenced this book/author/idea previously on the blog... maybe multiple times. His phrase "nature deficit disorder" references exactly what it seems: children do not spend enough time in nature. That phrase and idea had a huge impact on me at the time as a teacher - I wasn't a mother yet. Simple things happened - I was able to get rain boots and galoshes purchased for every preschool classroom in our building... window-birdhouses attached to each teacher's window... books purchased to help guide instruction with a focus on outdoor exploration. 

Here I am - no longer employed as a teacher - but working harder than ever to make sure that my current students never lack in their relationship with Mother Nature. I never have to write a lesson plan. I can go for weeks without purchasing any materials. Each student can pursue her own direction and interest. Every topic can be expanded and used across subjects. Mother Nature is AMAZING!

Over the past week, we did a little owl hunting - barred owls, to be exact:

We investigated pond life as well as family structures among geese:

And we definitely stopped to smell the flowers - bleeding heart bouquets picked by the girls. I wonder what we'll learn tomorrow...

These boots were made for sharin'....

Scene: Rainy Friday morning, getting ready to head to the library for our weekly storytime. Everyone is dressed and headed toward the door for shoes and jackets.

Abby: *saddest voice ever* "Momma...I set my galoshes beside you at Gran and Grandpa's so that you would remember to bring them home and you didn't!" *cue tears*
Me: "Abby, I'm so sorry that I didn't grab your boots. I know you are upset and wish they were here. Let's think of something else that you could put on your feet this morning."
Abby: "I don't want to wear anything else! I don't want to wear my snow boots!"
Me: "You certainly don't have to wear your snow boots. Why don't you look through the shoe basket while I go get the library books and let me know if you need help."

Less than one minute passes; I return down the stairs to find:

Abby: *grinning from ear to ear* "Elise is letting me wear her galoshes and she's going to wear her snow boots instead!"
Elise: "Momma, I didn't want Abby to be sad."

And away we went - a happy little trio without a worry in the world. :) Happy rainy Friday - may you have people in your world who would give you the boots off their feet, or vice versa. 

Oh, and since it's Friday... how about a little food??? Muffins... again. I love baking and muffins are so easy to health the heck out of. They are also great for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Did I mention that I like making muffins? The girls also requested them for breakfast this morning... which leads me to another brain-invading thought today. Early childhood "people" are well-versed in the theory of "child directed" and "child led". I buy into that approach - children know what they enjoy, they seek out what interests them and those choices serve for ideal teaching platforms. I feel insanely fortunate that I can provide our girls with child-directed days. John and I were just talking about how powerful (and wonderful) it is that I can wake up on most mornings and say "Girls, what do you want to do today?". Their choices, their preferences, their interests create the foundation for how we spend the majority of our time. The other part of our time is obviously spent baking muffins. :)

Raisin-Apricot Whole Wheat Muffins:

• 1 1/2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C organic whole wheat stone ground flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 C maple syrup
• 1/4 - 1/2 C organic coconut sugar (I used less than 1/2 C but maybe not quite as little as 1/4 C)
• 1 organic banana; mashed
• Organic unsweetened applesauce added to the mashed banana until amount equals 1 C
• 1/4 C organic plain yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large organic local egg
• 3/4 C milk (I used a combination of homemade almond milk and organic 2% milk)
• 1/2 C organic raisins
• 1/2 C organic apricots; chopped
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees; grease muffin tin with coconut oil
• Mix dry ingredients; in a separate bowl mix wet ingredients except for milk
• Add wet to dry; stir in milk; add raisins and apricots
• Bake for 20 minutes - makes 1 dozen muffins

Make someone else's bed

I believe strongly in the saying "you made your bed, now you have to sleep in it". But how about this one: "make someone else's bed for them"? Ever heard of that one? Nope, me neither - it's not really a saying (as far as I know) but its been stuck in my head all day. And here's why...

This morning is a bit fuzzy because we're a little sleep deprived - Elise has a cold, one of those no-matter-how-hard-I-try-to-breathe-through-my-nose-nothing-moves kind of colds. I spent last night trying to keep her propped, which kept me awake. :) Sidenote: Today is the most sleep-deprived I've been in a long time, yet I didn't cry at all. Not a single tear. Thinking back to the extreme sleep deprivation when the girls were babies - I cried so much. Not kidding - tears were my reaction to EVERYTHING. Anyhow, we all handled it quite well today, which makes me smile. Pat on my back.

Back to someone else's bed... Abby went trotting down to their bedroom and shut the door. She was very quiet, for quite some time. Then suddenly Elise came running to me, shouting: "MOM!!! Abby made my bed for me!". This was followed by a cinema-style embrace between the girls. Abby, tucked her hair behind her ears and put her hands on her hips and said: "Elise, I'd make your bed for you every single day". As I type, I'm wondering how I managed to not tear-up at this scene. It is a moment that goes down in the proud-parent moments. Here were my babies, taking care of each other, supporting each other, embracing one another, and wanting to do it again. And again. And again. 

We may spend a lot of time looking rather silly:

But I tell you what - at the end of the day, we make each other's bed around here. High-five, family. High-five. :)

Foodie Friday: Stop...It's Spinach Time!

Here are a few things that popped up in the kitchen this week:

• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• I'm on a roll with homemade bread! This recipe is seriously simple and has produced two great loaves of bread so far. It also doesn't hurt when one of your precious children says "You're the best mommy because you make our bread.". Sigh...
• Banana Ice Cream:
• 2 organic frozen bananas
• Scoop of organic, unsweetened cocoa powder
• Scoop of organic peanut butter
• Blend all until creamy and delicious

• Quinoa Muffins (courtesy of Martha Stewart)
• 2 C organic quinoa, cooked (I rinsed 1 C of quinoa, toasted it in a dry pan, added 2 C of water, and it cooked up to about 3 cups)
• 2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 C organic coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 C organic raisins
• 1/4 C organic coconut oil
• 3/4 C local 2% milk
• 1 large local organic egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt; add cooked quinoa and raisins
• In separate bowl, combine melted coconut oil, milk, egg, vanilla
• Mix all together
• Bake in greased muffin tin (I greased mine with coconut oil) at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes

• Spinach Salad
• The recipe is not the important part here nor is the appearance of spinach in our weekly diet - the girls have been packed full of spinach since they were tiny, sometimes in soups or enchiladas... most often in smoothies... But this week the girls each ate an entire (child's size) spinach salad for lunch. And I'm so stinkin' proud! They were proud of themselves, as well - as soon as John got home that day, when he asked how their day had been, the first thing mentioned was "We ate salad for lunch!". A few weeks ago, I started thinking about how few times I've offered or required the girls to eat/taste raw, leafy greens. They consume so much of it in other forms that the act of eating a piece of lettuce just hasn't been a must. I decided it was time to change that. So, I've been eating a lot more salads. Each time I fixed one, I offered a bite - just one bite. They saw me eating salads more, which is so important. When adding spinach to smoothies, I offered a leaf - just one leaf. And we've been doing this for several weeks. The taste, the texture, the experience - just like that it became familiar. They picked out tomatoes, shredded carrots, raspberries, and blueberries to dress their salad; I whipped up a little homemade dressing. It was delicious... and so exciting! When it comes to feeding my children, my job is never done. I love the challenge; I love the reward!

It's too bad...

It's too bad.... they aren't expressive.

We've really been targeting emotions and talking about feelings lately. Partly as a developmentally appropriate teaching opportunity... partly to help improve coping skills. The conversations contain a lot of "Use your words" and "You look (insert emotion here)" and "Let's think of a solution" and "When (insert frustrating situation here) happens to me, I would feel (insert emotion here) also". It's the whole acknowledge-relate-comfort-support process. 

Today, while trying out bikes at Sunflower Bike Shop downtown, Abby was cruising around the shop on a bike and, when she went to park it, the damn thing toppled over. Now, I guarantee you that two weeks ago, Abby would have gone to pieces. She might have cried. She might have yelled. It just might have been a very unfavorable scene. Today? While still under the bike, she loudly, clearly, expressively stated: "I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED". While holding back laughter, I reaffirmed her feelings ("You're right, Abby. I wouldn't be happy either if my bike had fallen over") and we smiled (along with the staff at the store). 

On an entirely different note, at dinner tonight, Elise announced that she was making a picture for Uncle Travis because he "probably doesn't get that many pictures". :) She was tracing her hand and wrist, drawing on a bracelet, and coloring the fingernails KU colors. Uncle T informed her that a monster would be nice, too. After a few more minutes, Elise held her picture up to me:

Elise: "Look, Momma. I drew a monster for Uncle Travis. It's green because it has the schwamp all over it". (say schwamp out-loud, please. it needs to be spoken for the full effect)
Me: "It's lovely! But what is all over it?"
Elise: "The schwamp." (stated very matter-of-factly)
Me: holding back laughter because of how awesome this child's /s/ sounds are: "Of course! The SWAMP! I love your swamp monster!"


Happy Sunday. I hope your day was full of freely spoken feelings and the schwamp. Both made me happy. Very, very happy.