An Enchanted Childhood Playschool ~ October 24th-28th ~ The Letter D

Ducks, Dogs, Dinos!

We read the book Go Dog Go, by Dr. Seuss, and made dog ears!!

We spent  two days doing our Dino puzzles, playing with the plastic dinos, and making cool dino fossils and painting an awesome dino!

Here is where this awesome quote comes into play... "Good moms nanas have sticky floors, dirty ovens, and happy kids grandbabies and playschool children."

We also read Henry Goes West and sang Six Little Ducks, using out little duck finger puppets.

In addition to our weekly walks and "school" we had some excitement.. a pair of Cardinals came to visit.  In our mudroom.  The children loved it.  The Nana not so much.  NatureGirl Hannah came to the rescue of both the birds and the nana.

Homemade Happiness ~ Halloween

I decided to make Bunny's costume this year. Since this is one of the few years where I get to choose what her costume will be, she is going as a gypsy. Really, how many other one year olds do you see dressed up as gypsies? The skirt has been done for weeks, and today I finally buckled down and finished the rest. The shirt was 50 cents at a yard sale, and the leggings we already owned, but I made everything else.

I feel like it turned out really well. I can't wait to take pics of her wearing it!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

I know. I know. No words.... Football with Pap. He was thrilled.  It lasted about 3 minutes but it was the best three minutes of his week.

Nana, We have a Fruit Stand....

Or the truthful, but very long title--

"These Grandbabies Have Their Nana Wrapped Around

Their Delicious, Adorable, Chubby, Little Fingers,

So When She Tells Them to Quit Tasting All Her Fruits and Veggies,

The Oldest Simply Says 'But Nana, We Have a Fruit Stand'

and The Nana Says 'Good Idea' and Grabs Her Camera"

The oldest knew they had me when he said "Fruit Stand" because he knows his nana is all about fruits and veggies...  But the TRUTH is they each had me as soon as the test read "pregnant".  I have never known a human love so pure.  I am so blessed.  Thank you God for my babies' babies.
 

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb

The Smell of Leather

The children, Katie, and I went on a walk to Poppaw John's today.The children got an apple to share and I got a piece of leather to use as the bottoms of a pair of shoes I am making for Bunny (he always has interesting stuff in his basement/workshop). As I was inhaling the leather (I LOVE the smell of leather), Poppaw pulled out a large buckskin leather vest and asked if I wanted it. Most people would have turned it down or maybe even taken it just to be polite. But I am a different breed.

In all my years of scouring in Poppaw's basement, I have seen much magic unfold. Magic that may have been as simple as a little girl spending hours, sitting on a stool, rummaging though a box of beads to make Indian jewelry. Or her barefeet standing tiptoe on a cold concrete floor, peeking over the workbench to watch a carved creation come to life. Or the sound of a file humming over a cow horn. Or the taste of his homemade venison jerky, and the peppery goodness that lingered on her lips for hours afterward. Or maybe, just maybe, the discovery of a box, upon a shelf that she had not yet explored. And, as always, the smell of leather. Magic. Pure magic.

As we walked back toward Mama's house for lunch, with the leather vest now keeping me warm on the crisp October morning, I thanked God yet again. I thanked Him for Poppaw, For the man that taught me how to pray over dinner (more than just God is great and God is good), and who tried to teach me (and now Bunny) to cuss. Who taught me how to shoot a gun and skin a deer, and who played Indians with me.Who sends me all kinds of healthy homegrown canned goods, and who snuck Bunny her first bites of ice cream. Who I am so blessed to have in my life. He is just something you never outgrow.

An Enchanted Childhood Playschool ~ October 17th-21st ~ The Letter C

We have a lot of fun with our letters.  We play all sorts of games, identifying them and learning the sign and sounds.  We eat snacks and food starting with our letter and try to see our letter in the world around us.  This week's books were...

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

(which gave us the chance to review a butterfly's life cycle)

The Carrot Seed
(you can be sure we ate carrots for snack!)

and The Cat in the Hat

It is very awesome when your name starts with the letter of the week!!
(alphabet cookies from Kroger)

Wonderfull (Full of Wonder) Wednesday

a day late..whoops!

"The woods are full of fairies; the sea is full of fish; the trees are full of golden leaves;

let's make an autumn wish."

My Guest Post

I recently wrote a guest post for Leaves of My Tree. This has been one my favorite blogs since I watched their video of the home waterbirth of their son over a year ago. I cried. It is one of the things that made me know for sure I wanted to have a homebirth. This sweet mama just had her second baby, a little girl, born at home. I am so excited to continue to follow her writings about life with two children, two and under.

Congrats on the new baby

and good luck to all four of you!

An Enchanted Childhood Playschool ~ October 10th -14th ~ The Letter B

This week, we learned all about the Letter B!!  We read Blueberries for Sal, JamBerry, The Runaway Bunny, and Benjamin Bunny!  We painted blueberry pies, made muffins, tasted various berries, and painted a picture of Benjamin Bunny.  We also had a lot of good "outside time" taking nature walks, blowing milkweed seeds, gathering leaves and nuts, visiting Poppaw John's garden to eat the last of the blackberries, and enjoying the last days of warm weather.