Bait and Switch :)

The girls are still a bit young to realize that we're not part of the "general public" and that our decisions regarding...well, pretty much everything from where our babies are born to the types of food we eat...is a bit outside of the norm.   I try to be an active participant in most of what the community does but make small changes and alterations (like supplementing our celebrations with truth-based stories and not HIStory) in order to actually feel good about what we're doing.  I guess that's what all families do...make things their own.  (It just so happens that most people in the communities in which we reside don't).

Halloween is no different.  We're still a little young to feel comfortable dressing up and hiking around from house to house.  Sophia is still scared by the costumes that aren't pink and frilly.  But we all enjoy handing things out from the comfort and safety of our home.  That way Soph can hide behind furnature is someone or something scary rings the doorbell. 

Things are a bit easier when you have an infant.  They often just go with the flow.  Toddlers, especially 3 and 4 year old ones raised by viciously independent parents who encouraged said toddler to have their own opinions and such, actually DO have their own preferences.  Much to my dismay....it isn't always what I want.  (Who knew?!?)

So, in an attempt to allow full participation in the joys of Halloween without the sugar crash and all that insanity that goes with it, I put together baskets for each of the girls in hopes that the pile of (acceptable) goodness will satisfy. 

Soph got pens and pencils, markers and (her favorite thing in the WORLD right now) lip gloss.  I stuffed some Yummy Earth gummies and lollipops, Revolution foods Organic Mashups in there along with some Spooky S'mores Z-bars. (YUM!) Madeline got some new crayons (to color the walls with, no doubt), Method bubble bath and the same treats as Sopher. 

Let's hope it works!

Oh...and in case you're wondering:
1.  No, I do not dress up.
2.  Sophia was not a chicken this year (like she has been since birth!)
3.  She was a cowgirl, Belle princess, fairy...of course.
4.  Madeline was the chicken.  :)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Amanda Soule, Soulamama

{this moment}

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. (oops)

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Regrouping

This week was Babypalooza!  Wonderful for me (and those mamas!) but it required that our Harvest Time fun be put on hold.  I was blessed to attend three beautiful homebirths in the first 72 hours of the week (two of which were waterbirths!).  What an amazing thing to experience.  The first two births required considerable time and I was away for a majority of Sunday night and Monday.  I returned home and some sleep and then received another call. 

The girls have been reading a ton of library books and have been soaking up time with the Dadder and my father in law, who is here for the week. 

Both girls crawl up on Pop's lap with their favorite books and beg and plea (with hugs and kisses) for him to read.  Madeline snuck out of the bathroom while I was showering and slid her naked self downstairs before I even realized it!  I found her snuggled up with Pop and a book. 

Soph has been especially interested in anything having to do with firefighters and Pop is the perfect man for the discussion.  After returning from World War II he became a firefighter with the Philadelphia Fire Department.  She is an testament to self-directed learning!  She knows more about equipment and apparatus than I do.  Smart cookie!

So, we're taking a much needed week to regroup.  See you on Monday!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. 

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. 

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.