The Children's Hour

We have been having some difficulties during that time right before dinner. You may know it as The Children's Hour.

Somehow I either start to get frustrated with the boys or they begin getting on one another nerves. We have tried plenty of things- running around outside, quietly reading books or playing alone in our rooms. Still they manage to bug one another.

My latest attempt- giving each of them jobs.

Landon sets the table- napkins, silverware, candle, and any other little things he can carry.

He is satisfied and then heads off to play for a few minutes while dinner is cooking.

William has started to help with the preparations. He loves chopping vegetables. Since that is a staple with our meals, I think I have him occupied for awhile.

Sigh

It works. Plus they are learning valuable life skills.

little red wagon

We just returned Friday My Radio Flyer Flew to the library. A cute story about a boy who tries to make his wagon fly.Landon decided to take out our wagon today. I am in the kitchen doing some things when I hear him tell the wagon to take off. He says"Come on wagon, Fly" What a lovely imagination he has. I just love how he remembers so much of the books we read and how he translates it to his own life. Doesn't he look so darn cute in the wagon?

giant burrito

William wanted to show everyone the giant burrito he ate for dinner last night. He made it about half way through before his belly was full!

tired

A great day outside today. The boys did some swimming and I spent the day in the gardens. Trying to weed and mulch.
We have a lot of gardens to mulch. I think we go through 40- 50 bags every summer. Why not have it delivered you might say, but our little driveway and fenced in yard doesn't allow big trucks in. Plus then it would mean that I would have to do it all at once or stare at a big pile of dirt for a long time. Boys + dirt = mess. Therefore we buy bags- 10 at a time. Its not too overwhelming and just enough for a days work. I always love the way it looks when you first put it down. Nice and neat and such a pretty dark brown.
Eric turned the ground to get our vegetable garden ready. We are a little late in getting it going but this is all new for me. Hopefully it actually produces vegetables.
A feeling of accomplishment as the day ends.
Being in the sun all day, cleaning the yard and playing with the boys. Makes mom and dad very tired. Everyone is going to bed early tonight!

drawing

One of my favorite times of the day is when we sit down and draw together. It is so relaxing. We try every day to draw. We all have our own sketch book. We have a nice variety of drawing media.

There are days the boys run to the table and just draw. I have always impressed upon them that it is fun just to draw and not to worry what the picture is, and not to ask someone else what it is, but rather ask if they want to talk about their drawing. I have modeled this by making swirls all over my paper.

Then there are days when they sit for awhile thinking, planning their drawings. Sometimes they flip through their pages to get inspiration. We talk often about how to find inspiration in nature or an event in our life.

It is such a creative time in our day. I love watching their purposeful little faces as they make marks and add color to the paper. And they make the sweetest comments to one another about their drawings.

Some examples of when they wanted to describe their drawings.

The Farm- William

The Outside World-William

Ice Cream in Sandbox-Landon

Rainbow-Landon

The Three L's

An old friend has resurfaced.

Several months ago I started The 3 L's with William. After our story at night I would snuggle with him and ask about the day.

What made him Laugh?

What did he Learn?

What happened that was Loving?

It was going fine for awhile and then one night he decided he was done.
I was a little saddened as I felt this was a great way to end our day. However I wasn't going to push him.

Two nights ago, Will says "We have to do The 3 L's tonight!"

I was simply delighted.

It opens our minds and hearts to such wonderful discussions. There not long ones. Just simply little snippets of the day. I have to say mine also. It helps us remember how we felt throughout the day.

When we can't think of anything then we tell ourselves that tomorrow needs to be a better day.

I try not to let this happen. There should be no days in our lives that we don't laugh or show our love, and of course we are always learning in everything we do.

William is really excited about The 3 L's at the moment. He asked to share with Landon also.

I'll take it for now and hope it lasts for a long time to come.

My Sweet William

the weekend

What a productive and physically active weekend it was.
There was soccer Saturday morning. William so looks forward to every game.
Landon loves to get dressed in his uniform too. (something Eric bought in Ireland last year) He wants to be just like William.

Followed by a trip to the Farmers Market. The boys wanted to stay with dad this time so I got to taste and enjoy each farmers stand alone. Not too many vegetables yet but all the local dairy, meats and treats are great to get. I bought a steak for dinner. Knowing the farmer who raised the cow is somehow makes it taste better. As William likes to say"Daddy makes the best steak ever!"

Of course there was playing in the sand. The boys kept an eye on dad while he built a cover.

All in all, the sandbox was cheaper to build and bigger than the ones you can buy in a catalog. And so much better since daddy built it. It is a wonderful addition to our backyard and has been used every day since its creation. Listening to the boys talk and build together always puts a smile on my face.

Then there was family movie night.

Early Sunday morning construction.

Homemade Granola for William's instructors from Nature class. Today was the last day.

We also had a family bike ride which felt good but really took it out of me. I had a little passenger behind me who loved to "help" mommy up the hills. Landon would huff and puff all the way up and then say"that was hard work". William did an awesome job. We are hoping to go a few times a week. Maybe even to a destination that might include some melting dairy products. aka ice cream