Cooking with kids.

J-cakes is almost 4, and so helpful in the kitchen. She pulled leaves off a cabbage head, she skinned a carrot, she peeled garlic, she took scraps to the worm bin, she scooped and scraped when I needed an extra hand.

We made Curry Crockpot Cabbage Rolls, and her big sister gobbled it down- but her tiny toddler appetite appeared again tonight.

Just goes to show you can lead child to vegetables, but you can't make them eat.

Art Studio

My new passion is our developing "Art Studio"- all my sweeties love to create, and having a place that allows some room for exploration, plus space to hang out together for inspiration and collaboration! I've been spurred on by so many great rooms while being incredibly productive Pinterest... you really should not click this link if you value your time on the internet http://pinterest.com/barefootin/family-style-learning/, but if you are already a Pinner, well then don't forget to open the link in a new tab so you'll find your way back here to finish my fascinating blog post.

We made Koolaid Playdoh recently, and it has been a popular little brother occupier, while I continue to sort and organize and the girls paint, cut, glue, glitter, bead & feather. G-pie has drawn many a cat picture and once C-dough had cut all the playdoh in little tiny pieces with his little Mickey Mouse knife, he learned to sponge paint, hold scissors (he is definitely a lefty)- oh yeah... and pour rubber cement out all over his sister's bedroom floor (one of the major factors in the rush job on the Art Studio, by dear sweet Sugar Daddy on Wednesday night)!

Last night we fit in a little family style creativity before bedtime with a really fun game, it was surprisingly easy and the 6 resulting pictures were funny - one actually turned out pretty good! http://familyfun.go.com/playtime/tag-team-drawings-844516/

There are so many studies on the benefits of art, I am blessed to have a family who is so talented and encourages me, the wordy one, to use more imagery and imagination when creating. We are lucky to have space dedicated to the messy business of creating.

And speaking of the messy business of creating, tomorrow I have an ultrasound scheduled, so the girls are doing an etching project discovered in the California Studies Weekly newsletter that we have been reading this year- it is fun, with crossword, trivia and interesting information delivered in a colorful, easy to digest format (and the state standards are covered for those using a charter school). Pics will be posted on Google+ and facebook soon...

Our house is haunted!

The girls have spent the week sniffly and creating crafts to celebrate the spooky season- and making home made costumes...

Today these super easy, even for the tiniest tot, ghosts have been popping up all over the house.
All you need:

• Two napkins
• Plastic bread enclosing thingy (I compulsively save these, they make great race boats with a drop of liquid dish soap and a little engineering, but normal twist ties or a scrap of yarn would have worked great, too
• Marker for faces

Ball up one napkin, open up the other. Put the ball in the center of the open one, wrap around to firm ghost. Twist the napkin at the "neck" and use pop on the neck band. Draw on face. These little spirits are even handy should a spill happen, amidst all the scary fun!

  

Here I am again, barefoot and ...

Maybe the moniker of "barefoot"OCmama was just too much of a temptation for universe, especially since I have been spending so much time in the kitchen (have you checked out my new foodie blog, eatingbarefoot.blogspot.com)... 


How could this happen? 


Let me take a moment to explain. About 6 weeks ago, after we had gotten ALL the children to sleep at a fairly decent hour and had been involved in what a happily married couple should be involved in more often than we are... suddenly- well I'll let Grease take it from here.


Kenickie: It broke! 

Rizzo: How could it break? 

Kenickie: I bought it when I was in the seventh grade.

Well we weren't in the 7th grade, but let's just say I have been nursing or pregnant for over 4 years- so we haven't needed to even consider birth control- but we have held on the Costco size box of condoms we got sometime in 2005.


It broke. Really. Right after the dog ate my Dr's note excusing me from participating in this test of the emergency broadcast system.


So about 4 weeks after my 40th birthday I am due to have my 4th child. Seems like there should be a 4th "4" there... 

Aerial Arts Classes in Costa Mesa

My oldest sweetie, G-pie, has been in gymnastics on an off since she was 18 mos old. She has the build for it, and enjoys having goals to work towards while allowing her to energetically practice things she is already good at. Tonight she took her first Aerial Arts class with Ruby Karen. (http://www.rubykaren.com) She liked aerial arts because it's "all bendable and I like climbing and hanging and spinning around, too."

We liked the little dance studio, Dance Asylum- it looks like they have some fun classes for all ages! Ruby Karen is a good teacher, a dynamic yet serious , encouraging yet challenging and it looked like quite the workout- the first half an hour was on the floor and looked almost Pilates like. I wasn't sure my 9 1/2 year old would appreciate how important that was to the work she did later on the hoop (which she says was actually pretty hard to balance)- but I was totally impressed!

She is eager to return- actually she wants to go twice a week! But we are thinking once a week is enough along with gymnastics and this weekend she is checking out a local theater program. More to come on that! But right now my little cloud loving*, paper folding, picture avoiding girl is eager to play Gin Rummy. Again.

*in case your kids (or you) are into clouds check out this cool link (http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Learning_About_Clouds.html)

 

Powerful Fullness

Tonight- like most things is not at all what I expected or planned for. The moon is full and so were my hopes for an enlightening evening of mystical messages and metaphysical murmurings. Instead my daughter and I filled a bowl with water, sank a moonstone in it, lit a 3-wicked candle and blessed some of the herbs we had gathered. Simple, mundane tasks- although when shared with my newly interested offspring, it does make it just a little more special.

My dear friend, yoga teacher and future co-conspirator (http://ilaurajane.com/) wrote about sharing this evening with her daughter and my spirit played with them in the circle they drew. I inspired my own mother to begin a blog, she found something incredibly poignant and beautiful to share about her evening walk under the Full Moon tonight (http://magicalmymoments.blogspot.com/). I am thankful for both of their posts, their words so often fortify me in person, I am glad the rest of the world can share in discovering their special-ness.

Maybe for the new moon we will gather and peer into each other's mystical hearts...?  My own Harmony Angel reading tonight again called my attention to an unknown Leo who I seem to be ignoring... let loose your roar, oh lion of the stars- what are you trying to tell me!? Something big is about to happen... I am grateful for what is, the universe is exactly as it should be.

I leave you with my favorite participant in the Full Moon Blog-abration. Sometimes that star off in the corner of the sky catches your attention, with it's particularly sparkly sparkle...
Via Facebook comment:

I'm missing the moon bloggin' cause of my game... but you'll be pleased to know there is a full moon in Victorian London as well! about an hour ago ·  ·  1 person

Full Moon Blog-abration

Some friends and I were going to get together to share some magical, mystical moments- but the stars didn't align this full moon. So everyone is invited to share in the celebration! Many of us use different types of divination tools- cards, crystals, candles, stones, herbs, etc.

Tonight I will be doing my own Angel Card reading/ full moon meditation and blessing. I will blog in full glorious detail about it, and ask any of you who feel moved to share something, connecting us to this blessed harvest moon and each other as we transition into fall.

Please enter your blog information below - if you are on Facebook we are also connecting our notes through the virtual event I set up. Like this post and I will be sure you get linked in!