{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. 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.

Oh so proud!

Four In The (Queen Sized) Bed

Our co-sleeping set up rocks. Papa, Squirrely in the middle, me, and Bunny in her own little bed next to ours. Except, Bunny doesn't stay in her own little bed next to ours. She usually makes it only a few hours before waking up and wanting to snuggle, and then we are pretty squished. Papa loves it. He tells people we sleep in a real pile. A heap of tangled up bodies. I'll admit that I LOVE that he loves it. I'll also admit that I would really love to be able to roll over in my sleep with out having to rearrange all the arms and legs laying across me.

We had plans of buying a king sized bed with our income tax return, but alas, the cheapskate in me won out. I mean... do we need a king sized bed? No! We can manage. We can rally. Even when Papa works nightshift, I still end up squished. These girls just love to sleep right up next to me. So I will just pry Bunny off of me and scoot her over into her little bed at some point during the night, and push Squirrely over some, and we will be fine. There is no need for a bigger bed... Unless I found one really cheap... But that is just how I roll. I come up with a price of what something would be worth to me, if it happens to be more, I do without. This method has worked quite well over the years. I am pretty good at budgeting. I was even better when we had even less to budget. But while I was great with very little money, I find I am only pretty good with more. I am striving to do better though. We have dreams, and they aren't going to pay for themselves. We need to save money.

I have once again found myself craving less and less. A more simple, less cluttered life. For the first time ever, Papa seems to be completely on board with me tossing out and giving away boxes and bags full of things I feel we no longer need. Of course I sometimes have to pause and let him sort through a pile to pick out what he thinks is necessary to keep. But I think he is catching on to the fact that less junk, makes less hassle, makes a happy wife. And we all know that a happy wife makes a happy life ;) Simplicity sometimes means we're more squished (like when there are four people in a queen size bed), but sometimes it means, less junk, less spending, less waste, less work (in the long run), more love!

Each week I join several linky parties!  What a fun way to share and learn! 

Natural Living Monday,  The Children's Bookshelf,  Monday's Kid Corner, Hey Mom, Look What I Did!, Montessori Monday, Made by Little Hands, Homemade Mondays, Mama Moments Monday {Link Up}, The Gathering Spot,  Little Wonders' Days,  Mom's Monday Mingle, Mommy Moments, Frugal, Crafty Home,  Hip Homeschool Hop, Mom's Library,  Tuesday Tots, (tot school tuesday), The Tuesday Baby Link-Up, Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}, Tuned in Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, TOO Cute Tuesday, Open Call Tuesday, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Tuned in Tuesday, Kids in the Kitchen,  Waldorf Wednesday,  It's Playtime, We Made That Linky, What I Learned Wednesday, Super Link Party, Kids Co-Op,  Artsy Play Wednesday, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Adorned From Above, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Kids Crafts, Link and Learn, Thrifty Thursday,  Hearts for Home,  needle and thREAD, Made U Look, Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers,  Natural Living Link-Up, Small Footprint Friday,  Our Days Homeschool Link-Up,  For the Kids Friday, FarmGirl Friday Blog Hop,  Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday, Read. Explore. Learn., Creative Learning on Friday,  Preschool and Kindergarten Corner, Friday's Nature Table, The Friday Baby Shower,  TGIF Linky Party, Family Fun Friday,  Creative Friday, Friday Flair Link Party, Shine on Fridays, Friday Favs, Outdoor Play Party,  Do Something Crafty, Weekend Whatever,  Saturday Show and Tell,  Tot School Gathering Place,  Sharing Saturday, Share It Saturday, Country Kids, Link and Learn, sharing creative, ideas {all weekend}, Show and Share Saturday, Stress Free Sunday,  The Sunday Showcase, The Preschool Prekinder Nook, Fun Sparks, The Sunday Parenting Party, Making Boys Men, Spring Carnival, Made with Love, Raising Memories

And each week I co-host Eco-Kids Tuesday Link-Up!

Wonderfull (Full of Wonder) Wednesday

Looking for the wonder in everyday life! 

I'd love for you to join me on this journey. 

If you find wonder along the way, please leave a link in the comments,

so others can share in your wonder!

Reading outside, under the pear trees, in such a wonder filled joy!

Even BabySister thinks so!

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in” ~ Rachel Carson

 

 

Eco-Kids Tuesday

We have had a whirlwind few weeks... and life seems to be a bit too crazy. I have been decluttering like a mad woman in a effort to add some peace to our life. Some rooms are fine tuned, others are in progress, and a couple others have a ways to go.  The Hubs just came off his long stretch of night shifts. And, our playschool is overflowing with children and hours and hours of outside time and lots of crazy busyness. 

So ... I am pretending I am still there~

Thanks so much to all of you who managed ... despite our technical difficulties with the linky thingy ... to link up your awesome Eco-Happy ideas!

~This Week's Features~

An idea on Tuesday shared some wonderful coutin ideas!  My favorite was counting outside with nuts!

Motherhood: My Latest Adventure shared how to cultivate a sense of wonder! 

That is what my Wonderfull (Full of Wonder) Wednesday is all about!

Daily Colours shared her STUNNING moss fairy house!

And last is madebyjoey's post on thrifting.  She foud some awesome deals!

If you were featured please feel free to grab a button for your blog.  And please keep linking up great all your Eco-Kid ideas!

And now for this week's Eco-Kids Tuesday Link-Up!!

I hope that you'll share some great family-friendly posts that are also friendly for the environment.

Some ideas include:

• Nature Activities
• Outdoor Activities
• Crafts made with re-purposed or recycled materials
• Sewing and DIY home projects
• Science Experiments
• Posts on environmental issues for kids or families
• Non-toxic living
• Homeopathic Remedies

Eco-Kids Tuesdays is co-hosted by Organic Aspirations and Like Mama~Like Daughter this means that anything you link-up shows up on both blogs!

Feel free to link up several of your posts.

There are only a few rules:

Please follow both co-hostess' blogs, and visit some of the other posts and give them some encouragement!  Please stick to posts and photos not giveaways or items for sale.

By linking up, you are agreeing that Organic Aspirations or Like Mama~Like Daughter can feature your photos next week with a link back to your site.  

Please link back to my site using this button (once I get it fixed !!) OR simply text linking within your post!

Rhythm of the Home--Nana's Get Well Box

Rhythm of the Home is a wonderful online magazine celebrating LIFE!  We have enjoyed it since its very 1st edition! ROTH has encouraged us to live a simple, intentional. yet very full life!  So it is very exciting (an honor really) that "we" have an article in the Summer edition, just released this morning!!  When I say "we", I really mean "me" NanaKerri, but it is all about those grandbabies, so "we" it is!


Hope you take a moment to go read my submission,  Nana's Get Well Box, as well as take a little time to read the others.  There is so much food for thought and encouragement found there!

While there be sure to visit the Rhythm of the Home blog and enter the Rhythm of the Home Give-Away!  Hannah is giving away a gorgeous playsilk from her little shop: Enchanted Childhood Playthings! 

Hope, as you read through the articles,  you find encouragement and a sense of simple beauty.

An Enchanted Childhood Playschool ~ May 29th-31st ~ The Beach

It only natural, for us to do a little beach theme at playschool, following a visit to our favorite place!

Wednesday, we tried out our new Outside Project Time plan!

I simply set out the supplies for that day's project and the children are free to participate... or not. 

It is up to them!

I set out trays, little balls of clay, a bowl of water for wetting the clay, and a variety of shells to use to make impressions in the clay.

The following day, I set out the makings for sea shell and wooden beaded necklaces!

Friday, we read outside, under the pear trees!

We read the book, What Lives in a Shell?, while we examined a large variety of shells we have collected.

Ut Oh! Baby on the loose!

We then headed over to arrange the shells on dark construction paper.
The children were very curious as to why we just left them sitting out for the afternoon.

We also painted wooden seahorses and added a magnet to the backs.

After Outside Project Time, we take either take a hike, or just head straight to the Big Creek!

While there the children are offered to come help feed and water the chickens and ducks,

as well as check for eggs!

Along the creek bank, the children spied this creature peering out.

"SNAKE!" they all screamed.

I had to take several pictures to convince them it was a frog.

"Well then, it is a frog with BIG sharp teeth!" exclaimed the oldest!

Each week I join several linky parties!  What a fun way to share and learn! 

Natural Living Monday,  The Children's Bookshelf,  Monday's Kid Corner, Hey Mom, Look What I Did!, Montessori Monday, Made by Little Hands, Homemade Mondays, Mama Moments Monday {Link Up}, The Gathering Spot,  Little Wonders' Days,  Mom's Monday Mingle, Mommy Moments, Frugal, Crafty Home,  Hip Homeschool Hop, Mom's Library,  Tuesday Tots, (tot school tuesday), The Tuesday Baby Link-Up, Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}, Tuned in Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, TOO Cute Tuesday, Open Call Tuesday, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Tuned in Tuesday, Kids in the Kitchen,  Waldorf Wednesday,  It's Playtime, We Made That Linky, What I Learned Wednesday, Super Link Party, Kids Co-Op,  Artsy Play Wednesday, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Adorned From Above, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Kids Crafts, Link and Learn, Thrifty Thursday,  Hearts for Home,  needle and thREAD, Made U Look, Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers,  Natural Living Link-Up, Small Footprint Friday,  Our Days Homeschool Link-Up,  For the Kids Friday, FarmGirl Friday Blog Hop,  Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday, Read. Explore. Learn., Creative Learning on Friday,  Preschool and Kindergarten Corner, Friday's Nature Table, The Friday Baby Shower,  TGIF Linky Party, Family Fun Friday,  Creative Friday, Friday Flair Link Party, Shine on Fridays, Friday Favs, Outdoor Play Party,  Do Something Crafty, Weekend Whatever,  Saturday Show and Tell,  Tot School Gathering Place,  Sharing Saturday, Share It Saturday, Country Kids, Link and Learn, sharing creative, ideas {all weekend}, Show and Share Saturday, Stress Free Sunday,  The Sunday Showcase, The Preschool Prekinder Nook, Fun Sparks, The Sunday Parenting Party, Making Boys Men, Spring Carnival, Made with Love, Raising Memories, Discover & Explore: Sea Life

And each week I co-host Eco-Kids Tuesday Link-Up!