And so it begins

The Elf made his return today, sitting on the kitchen windowsill and quietly keeping an eye on our behavior, ready to report back to Santa. I can’t say I’m not fond of the little guy. I can’t say I don’t enjoy the race to find his new perch each morning, the way Lola Gray talks to him when she thinks I’m not listening, the building of holiday excitement. And it is sooooo nice to be able to say “The elf is watching. . .” and have everyone snap into shape. But I feel mildly guilty about it at the same time. Am I setting us up for a huge fall somewhere down the road?

National Homemade Bread Day

Did you know that November 17th is National Homemade Bread Day? It’s ok, neither did I until about halfway through the day. But it isn’t like I need much of an excuse to make bread! While I was at it, I also made playdough for Lola Gray and her friend Isa. Love this recipe using Kool-Aid to color and scent the dough! Today we made pink, blue and green.

I signed up to take playdough to Lola’s preschool for the month of December, so I’m thinking about making it peppermint scented and full of sparkly glitter. Sounds perfect for the holidays, doesn’t it?

Just another Tuesday

Sometimes my girl just blows me away. I have spent so much time worrying lately about the fact that she doesn’t seem to know her letters – something Fletcher had mastered by the time he was 18 months old. I know how smart she is, I have no doubts about that, but sometimes I forget . . . Tonight she reminded me, yet again, that intelligence comes  in many forms. While I was cooking dinner, Lola got out the construction paper, scissors and glue. She worked very quietly in the playroom for a long time, and then came triumphantly into the kitchen to show me the scarecrow she had made. She was so proud of herself! And I was so proud of her!

She and Fletcher both played beautifully this afternoon. We didn’t turn on the TV all day long! I know it is a little sad that I see that as such an accomplishment . . . but I do. And the thing is, not only did we not turn on the TV but the kids never even ASKED to turn on the TV. There were just too many other fun things to do. That is what I like to see! To celebrate, ghostly mashed potatoes for dinner followed by home made caramel apples for dessert. I love Halloween!

the boy is back!

It was a loooooong week. First the fever, then the congestion, then the waiting and waiting to make sure we didn’t go “out” too soon. Fletcher and I spent a LOT of time together, just the 2 of us in the house playing Uno and watching movies. It was so great to finally get out of the house on Saturday! We started the day with breakfast at Krispy Kreme (when I suggested it, he said “That’s crazy, Mommy. No one eats donuts for breakfast!” But oh, young Fletcher, you have much to learn!)

After breakfast we went to the Fall Festival at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Garden. So great to have my boy back!

just the 2 of us

My baby girl has gone with her Daddy to visit Grandmama and Auntie M. She was sooooooo excited – and with good reason! I am certain the weekend will be full of girly fun and Lola will be properly spoiled by the end of it.

But I miss her.

Fletcher and I spent the day quarantined in the house. His fever is gone, and though the coughing and sneezing is worse than ever, our crazy old Fletcher is back. In fact, he spent most of the day bouncing off the walls. He had finished all his school homework before breakfast and was begging for more.  We did dozens of worksheets, watched movies, read books, and played a marathon game of Uno. Really, it was a great day . . . but I’m not sure I can take 2 more days of being house bound without going truly stir crazy!

 

O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather;

When loud the bumblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And goldenrod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When gentians roll their fingers tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October’s bright blue weather.

O sun and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October’s bright blue weather.

by Helen Hunt Jackson

 

Christmas Carol Express

Yesterday Disney’s Christmas Carol Express rolled into town, so of course the kids and I had to go check it out! The train is promoting the upcoming 3D version of A Christmas Carol, and inside were all sorts of displays documenting the process by which they achieved the amazing animation. Fletcher and Lola, to their credit, were really interested in all of the preliminary work of the animators – I thought it might be a bit over their heads. But then, of course, Disney does everything to the highest level so the displays themselves were incredible eye candy.

We could have stayed inside a long time . . . . if only it weren’t so darn crowded! By the looks of the line when we exited the train though, it looks like we arrived just before the rush. At 5:45 when we left, the wait was anticipated at 3 hours to get on the train!

After touring the train and playing in the bubble “snow” for a while, we were able to see a 10 minute sneak peak of the new movie. It looks really wonderful. The style of the animation mixes beautifully painted and illustrated scenes and classic characters with motion capture technology. Throw in the 3D effects and I was totally hooked. Can’t wait for this to come out in theaters!!

Pirate Day!

Why Do Young Children Choose to Become Vegetarians?

About a month ago, we took the kids fishing while on a trip to Alabama. We had a wonderful time, but for Fletcher it was also a bit upsetting. I think it was the first time he realized that the fish we eat at dinner are, well, FISH. And he didn’t like it. 

He insisted we release the fish, which we did, and I thought that would be the end of it. But it has not ended there. He has now declared himself a full vegetarian, and asks at every meal “Did this come from an animal?”

I’m not going to lie to him. And if he doesn’t want to eat animals . . . well, how can I not respect that?

Until I came across this article, it had not occurred to me that he might be a bit young to make a moral decision like that. My sister is raising her children as vegetarians, and her oldest is quite vocal about not eating animals. But Fletcher came to this decision on his own. And while I have no plans to stop eating meat myself (at least not entirely) and this will probably make my menu planning a little more complicated, I must say I am really proud of my son for taking a moral stand. He’s a pretty cool 5 year old!

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HGSE Doctoral Student Karen Hussar’s research examines children aged 6–10 who have become vegetarians. As with Alejandra, for most children Hussar studied, the decision has more to do with morals than with personal choice. This is contrary to the theories of famed psychologists Lawrence Kohlberg and Jean Piaget–both pioneers in moral development–that children aren’t capable of making independent moral decisions at this age.

“It’s exciting to see how relatively autonomous and independently-minded these children are,” says Thomas Professor Paul Harris, who advised Hussar throughout the research. “This means that children are being influenced by other children and going against the tide in their own homes, which are meat-eating homes. We don’t know much about how children make moral decisions at such a young age. I think this is a good pioneering effort.”

via Why Do Young Children Choose to Become Vegetarians?.

the 2 sides of Lola Gray

I just love these two photos of Lola Gray – quiet and thoughtful one moment, silly and smiling the next . . .