Sidewalk Fun

   We don't have a big fun yard or much outdoor space for the girls to enjoy,however we do have this big beautiful sidewalk that runs the entire length of our row of town houses.In the evenings Nick and I sit outside with the girls and we bring out a giant bag of sidewalk chalk and all the neighborhood children come draw with us.The girls love getting to enjoy the neighbor kids and we enjoy spending time getting to know the kids.My best friend lives one row down from us so her two kids often come play outside with us and the girls love having playmates so close.This is what the sidewalk leading up to our house looks like right about now,well all the chalk is back in the bag in the cupboard and the bikes are put away and its neat and orderly now too :)

Smoothie

   I love making Smoothies for us to enjoy on these warm summer afternoons.I kind of just dump things into the blender and whiz it all up :)
Yesterdays smoothies consisted of plain yogurt,frozen bananas,frozen strawberries and blueberries,whipped up with a little juice concentrate to thin the frozen stuff just a little.They were delicious served in wine goblets with a straw and the girls loved them :)

Healthy Breakfast

   I have always been somewhat health conscious and always tried to feed my kids healthy foods for every meal,but the last little while I had become somewhat lax and even bought the "dreadful" pop tarts for an occasional quick breakfast meal.The other day I looked ion the freezer and realized I had kind of fallen into the rut of wanting to do a quick breakfast without much preparation and little mess,there were toaster strudels,precooked sausages,precooked pancakes and waffles etc.Honestly my friends even I was mortified lol it was right then and there I decided out with the old,frozen,precooked,and in with the fresh healthy foods.
   I made up a big container of homemade(from scratch) gluten free pancake batter and put it in the fridge for a quick,hearty,filling breakfast. Both of my girls have always been kind of picky eaters so there are a limited amount of foods they will eat.I have been trying little tricks to get them to eat more quality foods.Yesterday I cooked up pancakes,topped them with plain yogurt and pink and blue sprinkles(not the healthiest option I know) but hey,it worked!In the grand scheme of things I will take sprinkles any day over chocolate pop tarts :) and I served spaceship shaped fruit smoothie Popsicles and the girls were thrilled!

A Day at the Children's Village

Botanical Gardens

   The girls and I love to spend time at our local Botanical Garden and Children's Village.The botanical Garden has beautiful flowers year round and the girls just enjoy it so much that we make it a point to go multiple times each summer.Here are just a few pics of the beautiful goodness we experience there.Hope you all have an awesome day!

My Sewing Machine is Home!

Im sooooo thamnkful and excited to have my sewing machine home!There were a few broken parts that he cannot fix,but 2 of them I can order from a Bernina dealer online.However the inside clips of the shell casing are broken and cannot be fixed or replaced,they do not affect the use of the machine (actually none of the broken pieces do) so I feel very,very fortunate.It still cost me a whopping $135 to have them look at it,clean it,fix the tension and put it all back together.I was a little bummed about the price but very happy it works now and I can sew again.

Homeschooling preschoolers

   This year Daisy is 4 so I have decided to start doing some preschool activities with her thru the fall and winter.Nick and I have both talked about the pros and cons of our public school system and although there would be a few huge benefits with sending her to school (head start this year and kindergarten next)we decided that we would home school the girls at least for their first few years and see how it goes.
   I was home schooled for a good portion of my school years by my mum and I honestly felt way more secure and more loved at home than when I later went to a private christian school.For me going to school was basically a bad experience through and through,not only was I teased and made fun of,I was pitted against my family and for years the church/school we were part of ruined my family.There was a period of time when I did not have any communication with my family because they shunned me for stepping out on my own and making a stand for myself and who I was.For saying that I am a human I make mistakes and I don't want to be harshly judged but loved for who I am.
   When I was pregnant with Daisy I was a one on one through the public school district in a special education class.I loved the students very much,there were one or two good paraprofessionals also,however the teacher turned me off from ever wanting to turn my child with special needs over to anyone.I saw children who could not talk get slapped across the face so hard even I was stunned,I saw sexual jokes and comments be constantly made in front of the kids,I saw children be forgotten or left behind,I saw children spend their entire mornings in time out because nobody felt like dealing with them,I saw kids miss school because people fed them foods that they were allergic to hoping the kid would have a reaction and stay home the next day when there was a scheduled field trip.I saw things that nobody should ever have to worry about when their child is in a "safe" place like a school.
   Nick went to public school all through his school years because his mum worked full time and she firmly believes to this day all kids need the socialization that public school has to offer.I do not at all feel this way (neither does Nick) and believe that children should be raised and taught that family is important and that they will always be there for you.We want the girls to be raised not only as siblings but also as best friends.
   We have not told My family nor Nicks of our plans to home school as they are both strongly opposed (funny how my mum home schooled us and then sent all my younger siblings to public school now they believe there is no other way)I'm glad we don't have to face that conversation this year and maybe by next school year we will have dropped enough hints that we wont even have a big argument about it :)
   In the meantime we will be researching christian curriculum's,and working through a daily routine and schedule preparing the girls for the future.We have a tentative schedule for this winter,we will be working in preschool activities such as,letter,shapes,colors,sorting,adding,coloring, painting,nature walks,building snowmen,watching and feeding the birds,etc.Here is what our schedule looks like right now and I feel good about it,not pushing too much just helping them to grow and learn through everyday life :)
   If anyone has a curriculum they love please drop me a note or comment,I would love to hear others opinions!


   Monday   Painting 

   Tuesday   Story and Journal Drawing

   Wednesday  Craft

   Thursday  Baking

   Friday  Handwork,sewing,beads,playdoh,etc

   Saturday  Go out and About,museums,park,nature walk,etc

   Sunday  Family Day

Catastrophy!

  
 My sewing machine got knocked off the desk a few days ago,I broke its fall and mostly caught it before it hit the floor.But somehow the side wall seams cracked open and it will only back stitch or forward stitch,no doing both.So,this morning we took it into the sewing machine repair center (im sooo blessed we have one here in our city!)I have been waiting all day for the estimate and praying its fixable and not too expensive.When I left it at the center I almost hugged it good bye,I was so sad!and yes,I realize how lame that sounds lol and I dont care.My sewing machine means alot to me and I have been in the middle of sewing the girls winter clothes....It was really frustrating as I have 3 beautiful dresses all cut out and ready to sew :(
   On a brighter note,I got to looking at the fancy Janome embroidery machines,by the time we left I was practically drooling lol.Those of you who truly know me know that I never ever buy anything fancy for myself,so when Nick saw my reaction he offered to buy me one of my choice up to $5000 at the beginning of the year when we get our tax refund! So sweet of him to offer,and how badly I want it,but it would be ever so hard for me to spend that amount of money on a new toy for  myself!Nick justifies it by saying this past tax season he got a new 42 in LED flat screen tv and surround sound lol
   So,I guess I will start researching alot of different machines and see if anything out there will really suit my needs and wants and actually be worth the cost.I am considering it because in the future I do want to start and ETSY shop and sell handmade  items and help bring an income into our home,but I do not want to purchase something of that price if I cannot justify the cost.
   But for now I will be waiting for the arrival home of my dear friend  My Bernina that I have had for many years.I was very young when I saved and saved and saved my money to be able to purchase it.I think I was around 19 or 20 when I had finally saved enough money from working and made the 2 hour drive to Loveland Co and walked into Matthews Sewing Center and instantly fell in love with my little computerized Bernina.She has served me very well and I have never had a problem with her,unlike the little Bernina 700D serger I bought at the same time lol If anyone has this machine and would like to give me some tips so I can actually use it that would be fantastic!It has sat on the shelf brand new untouched for at least 10 years and I would love to use it :)