Making Homemade Lotion: Some Thoughts on Creating instead of Buying

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with this, but I somehow have a ridiculous number of thoughts on a subject as seemingly mundane as homemade lotion.

Years ago, pre-kids, I went through a period of making my own lotions, astringents, scrubs, etc., mostly from the book Natural Beauty at Home: More Than 250 Easy-to-Use Recipes for Body, Bath, and Hair. I really loved doing it and never meant to stop, but somehow I either became (what I incorrectly thought, pre-kids, was) busy, or got lazy and bought some lotion, or something--I don't know. But somehow I stopped doing it. I've been wanting to start up again, for a whole host of reasons.

To begin with, I've recently developed a minor obsession with decreasing our purchases of consumables. There are budgetary issues for this, obviously, but that's not even the biggest thing driving this for me. I feel like we somehow end up going to the pharmacy or grocery store every other day to pick up something. I don't even know what, but I feel like we spend an inordinate amount of time and money simply purchasing new, consumable, ridiculously packaged, processed stuff. And I don't find this the least bit enjoyable.

So now, each time a "need" presents itself, I'm trying to determine whether it's a need we can meet ourselves without a trip to the store. I knew the lotion issue was going to be coming up soon since our skin is as dry as you can possibly imagine after all these months of being inside with heaters. We'd been using up every last drop of every sample tube of lotion, right down to the last scrapings of the Burt's Bees Baby Lotion that came in the sample pack we were given when Bojey was born. And that last scraping was applied to poor Ninna's cheeks Saturday night, which meant come Sunday, I could put off this project no longer.

As with almost all household tasks, I included the chicks. They really, truly enjoy this sort of thing. Practical work is always a hit with toddlers and preschoolers, and more so, I think, when they see that they are contributing to the needs of their household.
I really love trying to make and do as much as we can ourselves. In my fantasy life I'd be almost entirely self-sufficient, a true homesteader. It's not possible, not now because of the circumstances, and probably not ever because I doubt I could ever be together enough to do it. But I'll settle for doing as much as we can, and for adding little things here and there whenever possible.

It seems to be a standard idea in our culture that we don't have time to make things. I get really excited by people who challenge that notion, both on a smaller and larger level. On the small level--take this lotion-making, for example. Let's say we decided to go to the store and buy some. By the time I got both chicks and myself dressed in gear, walked to the store, stared confusedly at 100 different kinds of lotion, chose one and paid for it, dragged the chicks back home, hung up the winter gear, and opened the lotion...I could have just made it. And I'm certain that I paid much less to make the lotion than I would have paid to buy a similar quality, all-natural lotion in the store, which also means less money-earning time going towards paying for this item.

And there are other undeniable benefits to such a task as well. I know exactly what is in that lotion. I know when it was made and how fresh it is. I can experiment and tweak these things until I find a concoction that we love. I can personalize it--I made mine almond, and the chicks' calendula. And I'm not bringing home new packaging all the time for a tiny little container of lotion. And this goes for the ingredients as well; almost all of the ingredients I used were from huge, bulk-sized containers that I use for all sorts of things and will last for ages, not needing to be replaced every time we run to the store.

I don't know how the chicks will feel about such things when they're older, but I have to believe that some good will come from their learning to do things like make lotion. I think it's not just a matter of increasing their skill set (though there's certainly value in that). I think a whole world of possibility is opened for them when they see that they can make many of the things they need by themselves or with the help of others, and that life is really not about purchasing, but creating. Even if, after growing up and moving on, they never again make lotion, or bake bread, or knit a hat, I hope that their world view includes the idea that the world is a place of unlimited creative possibility. I'm not trying to raise future homesteaders; I'm trying to raise creative, self-sufficient, free-thinkers. I hope I can succeed.

If not, at least they'll have some good stories to tell about how their crazy mother forced them to make their own lotion and then made them walk 10 miles barefoot in the snow ;).

Self Portrait Saturday #17, January 29th, 2011: Reading by the (Very Fake) Fire--a Funny New Addition to our Home

It's not just cold in the city of Montreal. It's also often really cold in the houses, many of which were built before warm insulation was available. Our sweet little duplex is among those cold houses.

So this winter our landlords (close friends) suggested that they should get us an electric space heater to warm up our main living area. They sent me links to two different kinds: one an ugly, gray, plastic monstrosity, and the other a cheesy and silly fake wood stove. I have a serious aversion to big ugly plastic things, and I also had a feeling that the chicks would like the "wood stove," so we went with that one.

And let me tell you, the chicks LOVE this thing. They call it "the fireplace," and the first thing they ask me to do in the morning is turn it on. They play next to it, they read in front of it, and they incorporate its existence into their imaginative play.

While it is a little funny, it's definitely better than a piece of gray plastic, I think. So here's a photo of how you'll often find us before bedtime, having "fireside story":

Ha! I'm laughing as I'm typing this. But we're definitely getting a kick out of the plug-in wood stove.

Our Version of Indoor Snow Play

This isn't what I had intended to post about today. My recent posts make it seem as if we do an organized project every day, and that's certainly not the case. But we did this today, and since I'm a little too tired to write carefully and critically about books tonight, we'll go with snow.

I've seen lots of ideas for indoor snow play online, but this was the first time we've tried it. If you're someone who cringes at the thought of big, messy sensory projects, read on! This is actually a breeze to clean up, and the chicks really got into the whole project.

Our Supplies

• A large tray for each child. We found an unused metal roasting tray and the bottom of a plastic 9 x 13 cake carrier in the kitchen cupboards.
• Bowls of very watered-down liquid watercolors.
• Medium and large paintbrushes.
  
• Small containers of glitter.
  
• Tools. These included popsicle sticks, spoons, cups, eyedroppers of various sizes, a plastic syringe (medicine dispenser), and some playdough tools.
• Plastic play people (these were an addition made by Bojey).

As you can see from the supply list, we nearly recreated our gelatin play, but with snow. There aren't really any "steps" here. The only thing I would suggest is to get all of the supplies ready before bringing in the snow. I always find that having everything ready to go makes this kind of thing much more enjoyable.

Here's Bojey mid-play:
One way to gauge the success of a sensory project like this is by looking at how messy and crazy the outcome is. When Ninna walked away from her tray, it looked like this:She thoroughly enjoyed it.

The icing on the cake is that the clean-up for this project is easy, can be entirely done by preschoolers and toddlers, and is actually part of the fun. Each chick took a turn cleaning up her own tray. I brought the trays to the bathroom sink, and the chicks alternated between rinsing off their tools and engaging in the oh-so-satisfying activity of melting snow under warm water. They each happily continued this until everything was rinsed and all the snow was gone.

This project is definitely a keeper. I now realize that snow is a free resource we should be using and repurposing, as ridiculous as that sounds. It's like the backyard is filled with free, easily malleable clay in unlimited amounts.

This is the Sort of Thing They Do

Let me set the scene for you: I've just finished a major cleaning and organizing sprint in the main living area. A slightly cheesy "greatest hits" classical music CD is blasting something along the lines of The William Tell Overture. The chicks are deep in some serious imaginative play. And it looks like this:
Do you know what this is? It's a monster being killed. I know it looks more like "pack the trunk of the car" or "let's pretend we're piling stuff up to donate to the Salvation Army" or "let's pretend we're masons and build a wall." And the truth is...if they were playing any of those things, it would still look like this. Play, for the chicks, involves an insane amount of moving stuff into different places, or filling up bags with stuff, covering the couch with stuff, etc.

And while I look at a freshly-cleaned living room and think "ahh...peace and tranquility," they look at it and and see a blank canvas just waiting to be altered. There's no moment more likely to lead to a long fit of messy imaginative play than the moment after I've finished cleaning.

Embroidering on Fruit and Vegetable Mesh

I present to you a fiber art project made by Ninna, 4 1/2--"A House with a (Pink) Ladder":I've mentioned before that I save all the mesh bags we get from fruit and vegetables (avocados, onions, etc.) I really can't remember how I thought of this, but one day it occurred to me that we might use it for simple, preschool-level embroidery. I wrote myself a note about it and put it on the fridge, and that's where it sat for a couple of months until I decided to try it today.

It's easy and a good way to repurpose those mesh bags that are just screaming for a life that extends beyond the mere storage of produce. Want to try?

Here's what you need:

**an embroidery hoop
**various pieces of yarn approximately the length of the distance of your child's hand across to her opposite shoulder (any longer, and it becomes difficult to pull the yarn all the way through)
**a tapestry needle (I much prefer metal tapestry needles, but I couldn't find ours and had to settle for a plastic one that came in a craft kit.)
**veggie mesh (at minimum, about an inch wider than your hoop)

Here's what to do:

1. Attach the mesh to the hoop the same way you would attach fabric. I didn't take a photo of this, but if you've never used an embroidery hoop before, you can find an explanation online (sorry!). Pull it tightly and evenly all around so you have a nice, firm surface on which to embroider. Trim off any excess mesh so it doesn't get caught in your child's embroidery.

2. Have your child choose a piece of yarn. Ask where he/she would like to start embroidering. At the chosen point, attach the end of the yarn by tying it onto the mesh. Then trim the excess length as close to the knot as possible (being careful not to snip the mesh!) This allows the child to freely embroider without worrying about the yarn pulling out.
3. Let your child embroider! Ninna has done both embroidery and hand-sewing, but she still sometimes needs a little reminder about when to come through the back, and when to go through the front. In retrospect, I think I could have just let her do it without the reminder, since it wouldn't have mattered if she sewed around the hoop--we ended up hanging it on the wall as is. My initial intention was to remove the embroidery and hang it another way, so if you'd prefer to do the same, just be sure your child does not sew around the hoop, or you won't be able to get it out.
4. When the yarn runs out, which will happen relatively quickly, tie the end to the mesh the same way you did in the beginning, making sure to trim the end. Have your child choose more yarn and continue this way until he/she is done.
And that's it--a fun, easy, crafty, and eco-friendly project. While I'd say preschool is the ideal age for this, others will enjoy it as well. Bojey, still more of a toddler, had fun with it, just in a different way from Ninna. She sewed through a few times with one piece of yarn and then enjoyed pulling it out. Older children who have never embroidered or sewn before might enjoy this as well, at least as a beginning project.
The one mistake I made was that I accidentally used the term "picture" when describing to the girls what they would be doing. I think I said something like "you'll be sewing a picture onto the mesh." I didn't mean to imply that they had to create a specific image, but that's how Ninna interpreted it, hence the "house with a ladder." Next time I'll be more careful to avoid accidentally pushing them to do something specific as opposed to just freely creating whatever they want.

The Snowy Day Art Buffet

Have I ever mentioned how cold it can get in Montreal? Really, really cold. Or, as Ninna, whose brain operates on a system of wildly dramatic analogies and comparisons, has been saying, "it's as cold as the bottom of space," (which is apparently not quite as cold as the "middle" and "top" of space).

That chill, combined with our finally having a "hang out and do nothing" day, meant I really didn't even feel like bringing the chicks outside. So instead, we had a Snowy Day Art Buffet.

I could have just said "hey, let's glue some stuff on paper." And to be fair, the chicks would have been all over that. But they also get excited by cute titles and arrangements that somehow make things a little more special. A very charming friend of mine from grad school said to me, after buying fancy new pens and notebooks at the beginning of her thesis class, "novelty inspires me." I had never thought of it that way before, but that was one of those moments when suddenly someone's words describe perfectly what you've felt all along. And I get it. It makes so much sense.

And the inspiration novelty can provide doesn't need to mean buying something new, especially when you have a tight budget and/or are trying to avoid excessive consumerism. It can also just mean doing something in a slightly new way. If I had to make a list of the top ten concepts that have helped me in raising my kids, this would be one of them.

Therefore, today we created at our Snowy Day Art Buffet.

With kids' arts and crafts, I usually think simpler is better, but that doesn't mean we can't go crazy every once in a while. So I covered the table with a little bit of everything: glue, feathers, scrap paper, crayons, colored pencils, pieces of bubble wrap, various shapes of cardboard, etc.

I also tried to make it visually appealing to them, which I believe makes a huge difference in our experiences. So instead of putting out a ziploc bag full of pompoms, I poured some into a pretty bowl. I poured googly eyes into a tiny dish. And so on.Those art supplies that we ordinarily store in an aesthetically appealing way, I left as-is:
After I set everything out, I said "OK, you don't have to stay in your seats. You might have to move around the table to get stuff you want." And here is how Bojey immediately interpreted that:Cutting and gluing are among the top activities for my girls, so the scissors and glue saw the most action. And by that I mean: they used up one and a half bottles of glue. I know this seems wasteful, and up until recently, my instinct would have been to stop the pouring out of gallons of glue and attempt to teach the "right way" to use the glue bottles.

But one of the great quotes I keep remembering from Bev Bos, whom I've written about before, is "children have to use too much." By this she means that they learn about their senses, their abilities, and the world around them, by really engaging in materials to an extent that we, as adults, might think is too much. Whole bottles of paint. Whole bottles of glue. An entire bag of flour.

No child exemplifies this better than Ninna. I could tell you enough stories to fill a book about Ninna using "too much," but she finds so much joy in it. And one day, once a year, of pouring out a whole bottle of glue, might be worth it in the experience to my girls, and it's not such a sacrifice on my part.

(Yes...the white stuff on Ninna's paper is all glue):
Oh, and I'm sure you noticed the irony inherent in the fact that on this cold, cold day during which I kept us inside, both girls are wearing swimsuits. They came to the Art Buffet straight from a "swimming lesson" in the "pool" in their bedroom and couldn't be bothered to change, despite frozen feet and goosebumps.

How to Make an Outdoor Ice Bunting

UPDATE--THURSDAY, JANUARY 20TH:
Thank you, thank you, thank you to Ohdeedoh, Craft Magazine, and Cottage Life Magazine for featuring the ice bunting! I'm happy to report that despite my initial fears about melting, it's still doing great on day five. Please, if anyone else tries one, I'd absolutely love to see photos!

This was really a fun project. It's easy, if a little time-intensive, but we've found the results to be so worth it. Ice Bunting lit by the afternoon sun:
Ice Bunting lit by artificial light at night:
Last week, Roots of Simplicity did a series on fun winter activities. On Monday, they made ice necklaces. We almost made these, but I wanted to color the ice with food coloring and didn't want to stain my girls' coats. After a few minutes of thinking-while-cleaning, I figured it out--we'd make an ice bunting to take the place of the fabric bunting that hung over our back balcony in the summer.

If you'd like to try one yourself, here's what we did:

1. Find molds to make your ice "ornaments," as Ninna labeled them. We made five different shapes/sizes using different molds: a popsicle mold, filled halfway; the shallow "muffin pan" we use to make crayon cakes; a painter's palette; old plastic applesauce cups; and a regular ice cube tray.

2. Color the ice. We only made colored ice, but next time I might make a few without food coloring to add a little more variety. Pour as much water as you want into your molds, and then add a 1-3 drops of food coloring, being sure to stir it up. All of these first steps can easily be done by toddlers and preschoolers. You can, as we did, extend it to a color-mixing activity, especially since the color palette of food coloring is quite limited. The girls stirred the water with popsicle sticks, and we wiped them down between colors to prevent cross-contamination (this is a highly scientific process...)


3. Add yarn "ties" to the water. This is how you will attach each individual piece to the longer length of yarn. You'll need them long enough for adult fingers to be able to tie them, so don't make them too short; you can trim them later. Be sure to press the center of the yarn into the water until it's fully submerged and has absorbed the water so it freezes well enough inside.

4. Ever so carefully put them outside to freeze. In theory you could do this in the freezer, but the whole fun of these activities is that you can freeze things outside. As we've been saying at our house, the whole outside is a freezer.

5. While you're waiting, braid three strands of a long length of yarn from which to hang the ornaments. It's important to make a braid or to maybe use some kind of thick, rough rope, because the ornaments are relatively heavy and will just slip right down the yarn. If you make a braid, like we did, you can insert the yarn ties between the strands of the braid, and they'll stay put. This can also be done by an older preschooler if you attach the end to a wall with a push pin so the strands hang down for braiding. When you're done, firmly attach the braid to the place you'll be hanging the bunting.

6. When they're frozen, attach the ornaments to the braid. I'm not going to lie. This part was a little labor-intensive and pretty much froze my fingers. And since I hung it high across our balcony and had to stand on a chair on said balcony to reach it, and since I'm the only member of our household with the fine motor skills to do it anyway, my little helpers weren't able to do any of this part. I didn't take a picture of myself doing this (for obvious reasons), but just make sure you pull the yarn ties between the strands of the braid, and you should have no problem. I triple-knotted each one because I do things like that. It probably wasn't necessary, but I know they aren't going to fall off.

7. Trim the extra length of the yarn ties.

That's it! We made ours during a VERY cold weekend, and tomorrow is supposed to be even colder, so I know it's not going to melt. We have a couple of warmer days coming mid-week (followed by near-arctic temperatures, according to the weather report), so I'm tempted to take it down mid-week and put it in the freezer to save our work.

We love this and will definitely make one next year. We don't have any winter birthdays, but if we did, I think this would make a great outdoor decoration for a birthday party (perhaps at the entrance of the home). Also, it's pretty fun to photograph:
What other things might one do with ice hung from a string? I'm sure there are plenty of fun variations on this.

Self Portrait Saturday #16, January 15th, 2011: Video--The Current Mode of Transport (and Another Half Birthday)

First, a video. I tried to aim so you could see this properly, but in case it doesn't make sense, it's me, with a rope around my waist, attached to a sled in which two little munchkins are riding. I now prefer un-plowed sidewalks and snowy days, as this form of transportation is amazingly effective:



And secondly, little Bojey celebrated her half birthday today. I can't believe my baby is two and a half! She had a hard time with the open-ended "what do you want to eat for dinner tonight" question, so I eventually had to suggest something for her. She was certain, however, that she wanted a "hot treaty thing" for dessert. So we ate raspberry and cream cheese pie crust cookies straight from the oven. We Skyped with my parents who sang to the half-birthday girl with us, and I almost forgot to take a photo at all but remembered one at the very end. Here's the little one playing with her candle, eating cookies, and watching her grandma and grandpa on the computer:

The Wee-est of the Clotheslines Belongs to the Paper Dolls

I try not to spend a ton of time on the computer when the girls are awake (unless it's to do things like find images of giant sea snails or figure out how to explain the mechanics of flight), but I had planned an online meeting/planning session with a friend today during Bojey's nap because it was the only time we could both meet up. I didn't want Ninna to feel neglected by her zombie mother staring at the screen, nor did I want her interrupting me every two seconds to discuss the abilities and limitations of The Magic School Bus, so I carefully crafted a plan of attack. And it looked like this:Some time ago I bought a package of tiny clothespins from the dollar store. I found them in the crafting section, and they seemed to be intended for scrapbooking or some other paper craft. I don't scrapbook, but I could not pass up the package of wee clothespins. I knew we would find a use for them.

When I peeked into the art supply cupboard for something to set out for Ninna this afternoon, inspiration struck. I suspended some embroidery floss over the girls' table as a clothesline and hung the paper doll clothes from the tiny pins. Then I just set out the paper dolls underneath with a saucer filled with the extra clothespins. When Ninna came over to see what I had done, she exclaimed (in a voice that I'm afraid she learned from me) "Oh! Tiny Clothespins!!!! I love it!"

Yep, this is my child.

In typical Ninna manner, she played for awhile but was distracted by the skein of unused embroidery floss I'd inadvertently left on the table. This child absolutely lives for craft supplies of any kind (and scraps of cardboard, unused q-tips...you get the picture) . So she happily spent half of my computer time wrapping embroidery floss around all the knobs on the art supply cabinet.

I'm planning to leave this set-up for another day, at least. Bojey played with it a bit when she woke up from nap, but the tiny clothespins are far beyond her fine motor skill ability. They're a challenge for Ninna, too, but one that is not too far out of her grasp.

Any other ideas for using our wee clothespins? Do miniature things also make you shriek with glee?

Book Talk: Winter-themed Children's Books

I've mentioned our book basket before, and I'm happy to say that it's still going strong, sometimes finding new homes in our living area, but always remaining a regular part of the routine. At the end of December we cleared out what has now become a relatively large collection of Christmas stories to make space for the winter books.

I don't know what it is about winter as a setting, but it has inspired some really wonderful kids' books. Seeing as I'm so on top of things and haven't written about our seasonal book basket since last winter, I'll link to that post again for the majority of our winter book basket, but we've added a few new ones so far this year:

Brave Irene (Sunburst Books): Three words: we love it! This is such a wonderful story, and I can't recommend it highly enough. In a culture filled with too many children's picture books that feature bratty, selfish, lazy protagonists (I'm sorry, but it's true), this book is a real gem. The vast majority of the story brings us on Irene's terribly difficult journey through a snow storm to deliver a package on behalf of her sick mother. The relationships between the adults and the child in the book are presented so nicely (the most significant of which is that of the mother/daughter), and Irene is a great model of perseverance. There is one line that I find too harsh for a two and four year old so I modify it as I'm reading, but that fact doesn't detract from the book in any way.
Let's Play in the Snow: A Guess How Much I Love You Storybook: This book is OK. It comes from the creators of the Nutbrown Hare books (the most well-known of which, Guess How Much I Love You, I do not care for). I got it for Bojey at the thrift store to put in her box of books for Christmas. This is a book you should skip at the bookstore but maybe grab from the library if you have a very small child. Little and Big Nutbrown Hare play a back and forth game of I Spy out in the snow. It's not the most riveting of tales, but it is written at a simple and peaceful pace, which is nice for small children. I'm also a little conflicted about the wording in the final round of I Spy, in which the Big Nutbrown Hare declares that Little Nutbrown Hare belongs to him (her?). I want to be OK with it, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of the child as a possession.
Bear Snores On: I can't believe I accidentally omitted this one last year. This book is so much fun. It chronicles an evening in which a number of Bear's animal friends (hare, mole, etc.) come into his dry cave and throw an impromptu party while he sleeps (hibernates). Near the very end he wakes up and his reaction to the party is darling. There's a great rhythm and almost musicality to the text--perfect for both of my girls. They're both squirming in their seats with excitement by the time we reach Bear's waking, and they both giggle at the outcome. This is a definite keeper.
The Tomten: Last year one of the chicks' grandmas handed down to us the two-volume, hardcover The World Treasury of Children's Literature : Book 1 (and 2). This set is truly a must-have (and from what I can tell, sadly out of print.) In volume two we discovered, this winter, The Tomten. This story is so lovely and peaceful. A small, hundreds-year old gnome-like man called The Tomten watches over the farm at night, talking to the animals in a language they can understand. No human ever sees him, but the children see his footprints in the snow. I did a little bit of research on this character and found various things--he is often, but not always, a Santa figure who delivers presents (in this story, he is not). I'd like to learn a little more about him in order to give the chicks (primarily Ninna, as she is older) a little more context. The Tomten is a sweet, comforting story.
Wow, that was so much fun; I can't wait to do it again. I just love writing about books.

And now (after I pay off those pesky late fees...) I'd like to make a trip to the library to get some more winter books. What winter kids' books do you love?

Book Talk and The Giveaway Winner

I'm in the mood for book talk, and I've decided to do a little weekly book review. Sometimes I'll do one book, sometimes a few in a theme--whatever is inspiring me at the moment. So tomorrow night I'll be back with some thoughts on winter-themed children's literature. Tonight I need to catch up and get to bed early. In the meantime, check out my post on last year's winter book basket.

And congratulations to the giveaway winner, Melissa! I'll send your stuff out this week :).

Oh--and thanks for the sweet, sweet comments on my blogiversary post. You guys made my week.

Using Beeswax Clay to Make Reading a Multi-Sensory Experience

A year and a half ago, I bought the chicks a box of Stockmar Modeling Beeswax. In my usual style, I dove right in and opened the box without any prior knowledge and found...that the wax, beautiful in color and scent, was hard as a rock. I put it in the art cabinet for over a year and thought we could use it when the chicks got older.

Then I learned in conversation with my friend that you first warm the beeswax by holding it in your hand, and it becomes pliable. Ahhhhhhh. It all suddenly made sense. It wasn't that all the people doing Waldorf beeswax crafts had superhuman strength. It was just that they softened the wax before using it.

So Ninna and I have started the most lovely of reading rituals with the beeswax clay. I promise you that if you try it, you'll love it. Here's what we've been doing:

1. Choose your book. We've been reading Little House in the Big Woods. While we did do this activity with a short book one night, it's been nice to do it with a chapter book because there is some continuity with what we make, as you'll see in a moment.

2. Choose your wax. Since our wax was still unused and still shaped in identical rectangles, Ninna has just chosen one color per evening. It's just the two of us doing this, so we've divided it in half and each taken one piece. We go with whatever strikes her fancy, but if you were following the Waldorf daily colors or had something else going on, you might have more of a purpose to which color you use.3. Read while warming your wax. Ninna and I each close our hands around the clay and hold it while I read a chapter or two of the book. As I'm reading, she'll occasionally peek at hers to see how soft it is. As it's warming, more of the amazing beeswax smell is released, and your hands also pick up the smell. It's lovely.

4. Sculpt! This is, of course, the best part. After I finish reading the chapter(s), we each mold something from our clay. We choose something that relates to what we've just read, and since Ninna is still just four years old, it's usually something straightforward rather than symbolic--a person who appears in the chapter, a central object, etc.

We've been saving them and have formed quite a collection. Here are some favorites, including Laura, Mary, a lollipop, a heart candy, a sled, a piglet, and a kitten, all of which appear in the book. Can't tell which were made by the 34 year old and which by the preschooler? Yeah, sculpting is not my forte ;).
We still have a few blocks of clay left, so we're still adding to the group we've already made. When those are gone, I plan to have us start again and re-soften the items from the collection to make something new. This will not only prevent the accumulation of too many of these; it will also help keep the focus on process and experience rather than only on finished, final products.

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A Fun New Year's Eve Party Idea

This is not the most timely post, I realize, but for those of you who plan ahead, I wanted to share how we've been spending our New Year's Eves. I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but I cannot. Our friends downstairs host a party every year for parents of small children, and everyone brings the kids along.

Instead of the usual countdown at midnight, we pretend that 8:00 is time to celebrate the new year. Everyone brings food for a pot luck, and we eat and hang out, and at 8:00 we have a countdown and toast (champagne for big people, sparkling apple cider for little people.)

We hang out for a bit more, and most people leave by around 9:00 to take the kids home and put them to bed. It's really, really fun for both the kids and the parents. And if you're one of us who are now finding themselves pretty exhausted by midnight, it gives you a great excuse not to have to stay out at a party waiting for the real countdown ;).

What fun New Year's Eve traditions have you developed?

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