Recently Added Playroom Decor

Recently added to the playroom:  a dowel that sits between the two playroom windows for hanging crafts and decorations and a mason jar hanging vase.  Both additions will make it easier to change things around seasonally.

The seasonal nature table has been moved to the window ledge.  The gnomes were made from a giant wooden peg person, felt and wool.

The fall banner has been changed out for a new seasonal winter banner.

We have hand drawn cards for each of the daily activities- craft day, painting day, baking day. playdough day, and drawing day. Easy to rotate and helpful for remembering what day it is.

Lastly, a little color for the windows with these capri shell wind chimes.  

House Tour

After cleaning the house today, I thought I should take some photos if it's current state.  I am still waiting to find a few families in our area that need childcare, and am surprised how long it is taking.  It certainly is different from our last area.  In the meantime, if you are interested, here's a bit of our new home.

A very open floor plan.  We divided it up into three areas- dining, media, and reading/play.

One would think, that with a whole basement of toys and space my children would play downstairs but they typically play in this area.  I think they like knowing where I am and what I'm doing.

I had visions of wallpapering one accent wall in each of the girls' rooms. However, it just wasn't in the budget so I opted for stencils.  My youngest chose butterflies.

My oldest chose horses and we covered one wall with them.  They enjoyed painting them onto the walls.  The stencils I found on etsy.

An In-Home Childcare Room

Hi!  Since the last post we've finally settled into our new home! Boxes are unpacked, rooms painted,  closets organized and the childcare room is now set up.  It has been a very busy summer and fall.  Right now I am just starting to advertise to provide in home childcare for a very small group of children.  Here is a tour of the childcare room.

                                                     Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Earth Day Post: Cloth Instead of Paper

I'm hoping this post will inspire anyone who has not made the switch from paper to cloth. For about two years now we've been using cloth napkins and towels instead of paper. Soon after having my second daughter, I realized just how many paper towels and napkins we were going through. Between a napkin for everyone at every meal and paper towels for spills, cleaning up and the general mess that occurs, I felt like I was always buying and throwing away.

I started making napkins from fabric I found, was given, or was left over. They have held up very well and are used daily so they get washed often. In the past I had tried cloth napkins - purchased from stores- but they were always too big and awkward for little hands. I found that if we were going to make the switch, I needed something very similar to what we already were using.

The napkin basket always held our paper napkins so I started making the cloth napkins to fit inside. It works perfectly and I immediately felt so much better that we weren't buying and throwing out paper napkins anymore.

I also love the switch we made from paper towels to cloth. Like the napkins, I had tried using different clothes and sizes before I found something that worked for us. For everything I tried, I found that either the size was wrong or the material or both. I again realized I needed to find a cloth substitute that was just like the paper product we were using if I was going to stick with it. Our cloth towels are a simple birdseye cotton cloth, serged around the edges. They are made the same size as a paper towel, absorb well, wash and dry easily and are very durable- in all they are just like paper towels except cloth.

Knowing I am the most successful with an organized system in place , I purchased the Towel House from Made In the Red Barn which has worked well for us. With both the napkins and towels, when they have been used they go into a small metal container in our kitchen and are washed with the laundry.

We still have more changes to make. I'm looking forward to a few more adjustments this year as I look at how our family can make more positive steps towards respecting the earth.

A Sewing Basket

In our art cupboard we have an area for sewing supplies. Recently I put them together in this vintage sewing basket. Having a special basket for sewing supplies not only helps prevent any frustration in having to gather supplies when one wants to sew, but also creates an added interest in using the materials inside. (Especially when it's pink.)

Inside the basket they each have an embroidery hoop which holds the current project they are working on as well as the needed supplies.

My oldest daughter (almost 5 1/2) likes to sew images especially if I draw it in pencil first. My youngest daughter (3.4 yrs) is successful with the movements needed and loves adding different colors to her work.

Scissors, embroidery thread and a pincushion are also found in the sewing basket. I would like to also find some beautiful buttons to put in a small container.

The sewing basket sits on the art cupboard, which recently got reorganized.

All of the necklace making materials are now in the crayon caddy. It holds a spool of yarn, children's needles, some buttons, beads and jingle bells.

The crayons, pencils and markers are easy to find and put away. From left to right, we have thin triangular stick crayons, block crayons, thick triangular stick crayons, crayon rocks, crayola pipsqueak markers, scissors, small pieces of chalk and an eraser, glue, pencil sharpener and triangular colored pencils. The contents inside the art cupboard are playdough materials, and watercolor painting supplies, modeling beeswax, rubbing plates, clay for making beads, and sandpaper letters.

Mornings

After doing some reading, both books and blogs, I have been paying a lot of attention to the daily rhythm in our home. Having the opportunity to stay home, I have found an appreciation for the natural rhythm that has developed over time- quiet times, active times, creative play times, outside time. Different than a "schedule" a rhythm is a natural flow hour to hour, day to day, season to season. This blog provides some great insight regarding rhythms. The one part of our day that seemed to not really flow, to not really have a direction, was morning. Up until lately, mornings were never very much the same. Sometimes my daughters would want to eat right away, sometimes they would ask for tv, sometimes they just wanted to play first. It felt there wasn't a direction or flow to this time of day. After a little planning and a little daily preparation I have found that changing a few things has really helped us find a bit of consistency and flow to our early mornings.

The first thing I started was laying out my daughters' clothes the night before. They sometimes help pick out their outfits and we set them near their bedroom door so in the morning the first thing they naturally want to do (seeing their clothes all ready) is to get dressed.



In the evening before bed, I set the table for breakfast. Sometimes my daughters will also help set it too. When they walk into the room in the morning they notice the table set in an inviting way and naturally take an interest in breakfast instead of the t.v. This little act has really made a big impact. Taking the few minutes before bed to set it up helps our mornings flow smoothly.



The other preparation I make the night before is to set out the breakfast cereals on a small table. I also try to provide a fruit and bread for toast or a picture (cut from the waffle box if waffles are an options that morning) of waffles. This has also really worked well and they are immediately interested in breakfast when they see everything available. Lastly, I set out two wash tubs for washing their bowls or plates and silverware after breakfast (I set this out while they eat.) I don't require they wash them but encourage it and most of the time they do. They also put their napkins and place mats in a small hamper that we wash on Fridays.

By just changing a few things I feel so much better about our mornings. We all seem to know what to expect, and the children are happy with it. What I have found from doing this is that preparations are like invitations to children. Instead of me saying "I need you to get dressed" they see the clothes ready and waiting for them and naturally want to get dressed. It also provides a sense of direction but direction that comes internally and naturally from the child not the adult.