Now that the weather has turned too cold & blustery to grow things in the garden, we’ve moved our efforts indoors. A couple weeks ago I bought a dozen paperwhite bulbs and had the kids help me plant them all in various sized bowls and two re-purposed clay yogurt containers. (more…)

It’s funny how things happen sometimes… Last night I was telling Maggie how I wanted them to collect pinecones so we could make peanut butter & birdseed feeders for our feathered friends. The girl was horrified at the idea — the peanut butter would stick in the birds’ beaks and they’d all die! I have no idea if this is true, but was freaked out enough at the thought that I set aside that idea pronto. (more…)

This post could alternately be titled “How to keep kids busy for a good hour.”

We’re visiting family this weekend and have six kids ranging in age from four to twelve under foot, so coming up with crafts and activities to bring was a bit of a challenge. Making pomanders turned out to be an unexpectedly big hit and the kids were begging for more fruit to decorate as we got through the pile I’d brought. (more…)

About a month ago we had the folks from Roto-Rooter stop by to dig big holes and fill others in our back yard. It was a day of non-stop excitement for the boys, watching the big Tonka truck tearing up our garden (and *snif* a mature lilac or two), to install a new septic system. (more…)

I happened upon a cute Etsy store the other day that had these lovely painted rock magnets and I am determined to do this as a project with the kids at home one day soon. (more…)