Play keys

Lacking the piano I grew up with and crave at Christmas, Andi decided to dust off her high school flute and learn some carols. She began with "What Child is This?" Of course, Lucy wanted to "play keys!", so she got to join in awhile. No carol ever sounded sweeter.

Family date night

Thursday is our "date night." It's been the evening we reserved for each other for many years now, but this last year, it's become "family date night," rather than a twosome. That's fine with us; just how we envisioned our family would grow. (We've been together nearly 20 years; we're ready to share our Thursdays.) This evening, we:

Took a short hike:

Took in the views:

Dallied along the way to collect treasures:

Stopped for a hug now and then:

...and to check out tracks both tiny:

and huge (bear):

Went out for some sushi:

complete with chopsticks:

And finished it off with a stroll in town:

Who could ask for a better date?

Good ideas gleaned from blogland

A short post after yesterday's novel...

I've been inspired this week by some of the loveliness I see daily on other blogs.

I had to pull out bubbles after I saw gardenmama's photos of bubble wands made from branches. What a brilliant idea! So naturally beautiful, I couldn't wait to try. (Lucy's using a forscythia wand; Andi's using a rubber canning ring.) I did it again today with all the kids, and they loved it, too.


And today, when one of the 5-year-old boys picked up a Y-shaped branch, I was reminded of the wonderful natural weavings I'd seen on Child in Harmony. I described it to the kids, and they were eager to try. Two boys and I worked on them for a good part of the morning, and they were so thrilled with the results, they brought them over to the neighbor's house to show them off, (and to the mail carrier, and to the UPS driver). This boy decided to add a flower he drew and cut out to the things he found in nature. I love the mixed-media result.


What's inspiring you and your kids lately?