We're Here! We're Here!

Sorry about the long absence.  I didn't really mean to do that, but then I got extra busy with life.  I spent the first half of June packing for our move and a trip, the second half on that trip, and all of July unpacking.  Why does it take so long to get settled in a new place?  As much as I dislike the packing, moving, and unpacking, it is AWESOME to be in our new place.  There are some parts that are sketchy, mostly in the kitchen and bathroom, but when you are living in the student life with three kids, you just can't have it all.  We have tons more space than in our last apartment and it feels so good to spread out a little.  Remember what my living room/everything room used to look like?  Well, now we have a dedicated play room, and I can't say enough how much I love it.  The kids love it too.  And if it's a mess, I need only close the door and I don't have to look at it.  It's so dreamy!



Yesterday marked the first time I have used my sewing machine in months (sorry folks, only boring mending of my garment bag that ripped along the edges during our move), but I'm itching to do some real sewing.  Our new arrangement has all my fabric, notions, and my machine in our dining room, and I'm excited about it.  In our last apartment I sewed in our dark unfinished basement.  There were some good things about that - I could leave out my projects - but it was hard to work on things while my kids were awake and I didn't like being down there at night or in the winter.  The dining room promises more light, and I think it will be easier to work on things throughout the day. 

We are still getting things set up in our place, but I am excited to show you little pieces as we get them finished.  The playroom was first on my list, and other than hanging two paintings on the wall, it is more or less done.  The living room is also close.  It's been fun to think about how to arrange our furniture and set things up.  We are living on the bottom floor of a huge multi-family home, and it's over 100 years old.  This means the basement is very scary and basementy, but the ceilings are also taller, there are lots of windows, beautiful wooden doors with glass knobs, and wide trim around everything.  Emily also lives in a 100 year old house right now.  It's so fun to live in a place with so much charm!

 

At Home this Summer

I just realized that it has been over a month since Carlee or I have posted.  In case you have been dying to know what I have been up to, the answer is: "Not a whole lot."  (Carlee is a different story, but she'll tell you all about her move later.)

I have been really trying to focus on just being with my kids in the day.  Kid #1 will be going to Kindergarten next year, and although it's only half days, I know I'm going to miss her tons.  I have been trying to savour the time that I've got with these little ones, as I know that it's going quickly.  So, what have we been up to?  Playing outside, going to the Zoo, and enjoying our time together at home.  It has rained a lot in the month of June, so we have been spending quite a bit of time inside and at home.

When we are at home, I try and have a mix of just letting (and hoping that) my kids play by themselves, and setting up games and activities for us to do together.  Here's a sampling of what this has looked like.

Number Lines

Write the numbers 0 through 10 on a strip of paper.  Give your child 55 small counters.  Instruct your child to put the corresponding number of counters below each number on the line.  I usually model saying the number, counting out the correct amount of counters, and then double checking to make sure it is right.  My daughter is often very engaged by this activity.

Old Office Supplies

We have a book of cheques from a closed bank account.  Kid #1 thinks it is so funny to write cheques to different people and things for crazy amounts and reasons.  The cheque below is for "Everyone," in the amount of $600, to buy "The Earth."  If you can get your hands on old cheques, receipt books, cell phones, computers, or anything else that kids are usually not allowed to touch, your kids will thank you!

 



Make Your Own Toys

After reading the book, Megan Gets a Dollhouse, Kid #1 decided that she would make her own dollhouse.  She used stuff from the recycling bin, wooden blocks and scraps of fabric.  I really want to encourage creativity in my kids, and having them make stuff is a perfect way to do this.

Playdough

I will never tire of playdough and I hope that my kids never do either.  Playdough is great for: creativity, fine motor skills, imagination, the list can go on and on.  I love to set out different toys and tools with playdough each time such as: marbles, toothpicks, utensils, plastic animals, Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, or feathers.

Dandelion Painting

The sight of a field full of dandelions is such a happy thing for me.  Dandelions give me so many memories of being outside in the spring and summer.  Now that I have kids, I love dandelions because my kids can pick a million of them, and there are still more dandelions left to pick.

Once those dandelions are picked, the perfect thing to do with them is paint! 

This was an activity that both of my girls (almost 2 and almost 5 years old) did together.  They had so much fun, and I think that the finished product is pretty neat looking.

I started out by giving my girls a paint palette with washable finger paints, a big empty piece of paper, and some dandelion "brushes."  Kid #1 insisted on having q-tips to paint with too, but those were hardly touched.

My toddler used her dandelion more like traditional paint brush, and my preschooler went with a print-making approach.  Both were great ways to experiment with a new tool.

I love the way the flower pattern looks.  The dandelion held up nicely, despite being mashed and squashed repeatedly. 

In other news, the city that I live in has just gotten warm enough to plant our vegetable garden these last few weeks.  Our days and nights have been filled with planting, planning, and hoping that we'll get a good harvest come August.  Mr. Emily has been the hardest worker, but the kids have enjoyed getting their hands dirty too.

Life

Hello friends!  I know I've been really absent around here, but there has been lots of life happening at my house.  Things have been busy, and I know most of you can relate.  I've been babysitting extra (I watch a friend's son a few afternoons a week for extra cash), and Mr. Carlee has been doing lots of grading and working on research.  I know I haven't talked much about what he does, but he's a graduate student in Political Science, and he actually just received two master's degrees earlier this week (on the way to getting a PhD).  Go Mr. Carlee!

Kid 2 also decided that it was time to start using the potty, and I was happy to help him master it.  I made a previous (and very unsucessful) attempt last fall, but this time he was ready and it went well.  Is there anything cuter than a two year old in a pair of underwear?  

 
And now for true confession time.  I haven't really felt like I can quite catch up on life since my baby was born.  And that was over five months ago.  There are lots of things that I was hoping to have under control by now, but I'm not quite there.  For example, I've worked out exactly once since she was born.  I'm just too tired.  I know that exercise will actually give you energy, but since she rarely goes longer than 3 hours between feeding (and I'm the food source), I'm just not up to it.  My laundry is also still in piles (dishes too).

 
Oh, and this is an un-staged picture of my living space.  Can you spot the baby?  I know I've mentioned before that I live in a small apartment, and here you have the living room/playroom/dining room/entry way/office.  Just in case you feel like everyone online has a much fancier life than you do, I'm pretty sure I don't.  The bottom edge of the picture just barely doesn't include my small dining table, and the room extends just enough to the left to fit an armchair.  This was a little crazy, but not completely unheard of.  Actually it doesn't look that much different right now if I'm being honest.

But, in exciting life news, we are moving to a bigger apartment in a month!  We will be doubling our public living space, and the third bedroom in going to become a dedicated playroom.  I'm so excited about it!  I'll be sure and share the space and some of the projects we have planned for it after we move in July.   

I've actually been sewing a little too.  Mostly soother (pacifier straps), and quilt blocks.  Yes, you heard right, quilt blocks.  I recently finished a twin sized sampler quilt (top) and I'm excited to share it.  I just need to photograph it. 

And just in case you think I'm complaining about any or all of this (if you are still reading that is), let it be know that life is good.  It's full, and I can't quite manage to squeeze in everything I want to do,  and I sometimes feel a little steam-rolled at the end of the day, but it's so good too.

Greek Red Lentil Soup

Hello again friends!  I'm just popping in again to share a favourite recipe with everyone.  I love to eat soup, but sometimes I have a hard time selling it on the whole family.  My husband is a pretty good sport, but he doesn't love smooth soups, and sometimes the little people will only eat a few spoonfuls.  But not so with this super delicious Greek Red Lentil Soup.  Mr. Carlee loves it, and says that unlike other soups where he get's bored of eating it after one bowl, he can keep eating and eating this kind.  And the best news is that the ultra-picky two-year old will eat it.  And ask for seconds. 

I was introduced to this recipe by my younger sister Kim, when she made it for our family a few years ago during our Christmas vacation.  It's from a fabulous cookbook, Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook.  I know we are kind of leaving the cookbook era, but this is one cookbook that I love and use all the time.  If I'm ever looking for something tasty to eat, I flip through this one and choose something.  It's kind of hippy/girl food, with lots of vegetarian and vegan options.  Just my kind of food. 

Since this recipe is published in a cookbook that I love and want to support, I'm not going to type up the recipe here.  But, I found it typed up on a few different websites.  Here is a version that is easy to read. 

This soup is so good with a hot loaf of my easy to make whole wheat bread.  And although soup is nice to eat in the winter, I love it just as much on a rainy spring day (or any day for that matter).  Oh, and other good news, is that it's healthy and really inexpensive to make.   Red lentils are so cheap you can splurge on the fresh herbs (especially the rosemary) without feeling guilty.