Outside fun

Spring and Summer time is here and the kids will be spending more time outside exploring the splendor world of Nature. There is so much to do and so much to explore. I remember a post from FB of a mother and child going outside and planting flowers and everyday they took a picture. When the flower started to sprout, it was an exciting time. They watched day by day as it grew and eventually bloomed. The made a cute little video of it and it was darling. This was several years ago and I'm unable to find it again.

Bugs will be coming out and kids will be curious. Go to the library and check out some books about bugs and flowers. Having scavengers hunts for Spring would be a nice touch. Take a walk and see how many flowers you can see. How many flowers can you count? How many people are cleaning their yard. Count how many Garden Gnomes your neighbors have. Did you see any painted rocks? Pinwheels are fun to watch as they go around in the wind. How many wind chimes did you hear? How many bugs did you see and how many could you name? Birds are returning, did you hear any? Make a list and check them off as you find them and enjoy the time.

Winter was long and now it is time for some Spring cleaning. The yard needs to be cleaned up so we can play. Kids don't like chores but if we are cleaning up for a Spring tea party picnic, then they might just enjoy cleaning up and getting the yard looking nice. Do you need new lawn furniture or do they just need some repair? Depending on the size of you yard depends on what kind of crafts and activities you can do. Addie just turned one, so I will need to go buy an outdoor picnic table as our glass patio table is to big for her. We have a small front yard so we will need to move things for each new activity. It will be work but it will be worth while. As you are cleaning you yard you can start planning if you want to start a flower garden. There are so many different options for you. You can do them in buckets or planters or even in the corner. Take time and talk it over and get everyones opinion. Planning for it is just the start of it.

As I said before, it is time for Spring cleaning. Soon yard sales will be popping up and you may want to decide if you want to do a yard sale. Then you need to decide what you are going to do with the money. Are you going to save it for a day at the Zoo or buy some outside toys? We have a neighbor who has an autistic child and she has been raising money to send him to a summer camp that will help him. Everyone has donated items for her to sell so she can raise money. Do you have a neighbor or friend that needs something? Maybe there is a family that does not have money to buy a bike for their kids. I remember as a child of a time that someone left a bike on the porch of my friend. She loved that bike and rode it everywhere. She was so happy to have some fun.

Doing something for others is a great way to show your kids compassion and respect. In todays world it seems that too many kids have no respect or compassion for others. You hear it on the news everyday, so take the time to teach your kids about charity and have them help someone out with their yard.  I live with my mother to help her out, but there are many elderly people that are too old to keep up with yard work and their kids don't have time to help out. This would be a great opportunity to teach you kids about helping others.

With the weather changing the kids will want to spend more time outside so we need to make sure everything is clean and in working condition. Becareful when opening outside umbrellas for the first time after a long Winters nap. Birds or bugs could have made there homes in it so, open slowly. Outside furniture needs to be checked for damages and they need to be cleaned off. Need to check the tires on the bikes and make sure to wipe them down if they were exposed to the wet weather. Don't forget to check the chains to make sure they don't need to be oiled. Do the same for all the outside toys before you let them play with them.  I use vinager and water in a spray bottle and spray them. Let them sit for a couple of hours and they are good to go. Many people forget that the playgroud swing set needs to be cleaned too. I know that I may be paranoid but just think about the birds. Get a bucket and put vinager and water in it and get a sponge and wipe it down. in the areas that you cant wipe, you spray. With all the birds and pollution that was brought down with the rain and snow, a good cleaning once and while is a good thing.

Hope this gives you some ideas to start out with. I have lots more suggestions for you but it is time for me to start my own Spring cleaning. Remember Mary Poppins and Snow White, work can be fun, put on some music and whistle while you work. So lets get cleaning so we can enjoy our good weather to come.

Spring Flowers with Origami

Someone gave this to me last year. They are directions to do flowers with origami. It is nice to do with the kids. As I am allergic to flowers, I like the idea of  paper flowers. I would take time to experiment on scratch paper before you use your colored paper or tissue paper. During your test runs, take time to figure out what side of paper the kids will color. On some of them you have to color both sides.

The one thing about these flowers are they are just not for Spring. You can use these for Mother's Day and all other Spring Holidays like Ostara, Beltane and Midsummer. I hope you have fun with them.

This is labeled Lantern but it looks like a flower bud. It confused me too.
 

Spring time has come

Spring has finally come and I am ready for its beauty to bloom. Addie is has tasted nature and she likes it and she is ready for more. All Winter long she has longed for our daily rides outside. She misses me coming home and bundling her up and taking her outside. Aubrie, being a new mother, was a little concern keeping her outside too long in the cold Winter months. So her time outside for the Winter was very limited. At the beginning of the month we celebrated her fist birthday and she is walking now. It will be only a matter of time for us to spend endless time basking in the beauty of Spring. I hope I will be able to share some of these scenes with Addie soon.

 

Ostara

 Winter is finally coming to an end and Spring is creeping around the corner. I just got done with Mardi Gras and packing everything away. St Patrick's Day is celebrated for just a day in our house but Osatra we like to celebrate and decorate a little longer.

Several years ago my nephew, Kody, gave me a purple tree for Yule. Purple is my favorite color and I wanted a Holiday Tree. It was a great gift and I use it all year round. The tree is 3 or 4 feet tall and it sets on a pedestal nest to my Altar.  So like I said it is time to take down the Mardi Gras beads and decorations so I can put on the Ostara and Spring decorations.  So lets get crafty. Over the years I have collected a large collection of crafts and pictures. Many of the were given to me and one time at a yard sale, I bought a bunch of cd's full of holiday fun. Most of it I do not know where it came from but I do want to share and give some ideas for everyone to enjoy.

 Here are our family Ostara and Easter from last year.
 

 
Addie was born on March 8th and she slept though Ostara and Easter. Aubrie said that Addie can spend the Pagan Holidays. She will be very spoiled for being able to celebrate both holidays. Right now Addie is in a throwing stage so I will not be hiding real eggs for her. I am planning to get her snacks and put them in plastic eggs.  They come in different sizes so I could small toys or some more hair clips. Addie has her Uncle Jeffie's hair, which looks like a mad scientist. hopefully she will get her mommy's hair.

As for the stringed eggs project, it was not as easy as it seems. I blew up the balloons and mixed school glue with water. I cut the yarn and dipped in the glue mix and wrapped it around the balloon. You need not use lots of sting or yarn to make the eggs sturdy. When you think you are done, you are wrong, you are only half way there. You keep adding and adding more. Now depending on your skill will determine if you can make a design or not. The one thing you need to know is that it is very, very, very messy. You are also going to need to figure out how to hang them as you decorate them as they are very messy. Make sure that you have lots of paper around you craft area. You will also need a area for them to dry. After they are dry you pop the balloon and remove it. The glue will also leave some pieces that you will need to break or cut off. In the end it was a good project but hopefully I won't need to do it again. You have to be careful when packing them that they don't get squished. They are stiff but they will still break easily.

 



If you decide to make the sting eggs, I hope you have fun. Enjoy and have a Blessed Ostara.

Coriander Bats

Imbolc

Imbolc is here and it is time to celebrate. Here are some ideas and other stuff I have collected over the years,

I made some ornaments for my holiday tree a couple of years ago. I used the basic salt dough recipe. I cut out circles with a paper towel roll. I also made overlapped the circles and made crescent moons and a seed shape. I painted them and decorated them with snowflakes and flowers.  I found out latter that you could add food coloring to the dough but you can do it both ways. Just remember to use a toothpick to make your hole to string them up. I have many coins that I made by accident. So I have ornaments hanging on the tree then I made a plate with the candles, rocks and the extra coins. It turned out nice.


I painted some of them with candles on them. they turned out very nice.










How to Make a Brighid Wheel/Cross

The wheel/cross has long been a symbol of Brighid, the Irish goddess who presides over hearth and home.

In Celtic mythology the cross is not actually a cross, it is a wheel of fire. The wheel was placed in the home to protect the home from fire and evil. Brighid is also known as a goddess of the crossroads, and this symbol represents the place where two worlds meet, and the year is at a crossroads between light and dark.

You can use different materials to create your wheel - straw, reeds, paper, pipe cleaners. If you are using plant material, soaking it overnight will help it to be pliable.

An Imbolc Project
By Wendy Sheridan

-Paper Brigid's Crown-
(This is especially appropriate for young girls, since this is the holiday for the return of the maiden).

You will need:
Construction paper in your child's favorite colors, and yellow and/or red, for the flames.
Pencil, crayon, or marker.
Scissors.
Glue (white glue or glue stick).

What to do:
Cut a strip of paper about 2 inches wide and long enough to wrap around your child's head. You may need to glue 2 shorter strips to get the right length. Remember to include a couple of extra inches for overlap!
Draw and cut out eight thin rectangles (these are the candles) of paper.

Draw and cut out eight flames and glue the flames to the candles.
Draw wicks in the flames and candles.
Distribute the candles evenly around the headband.
Glue the candles to the outside of the headband. (You can glue it to the inside if you think your youngster will wait long enough for the glue to dry!) Depending on the age of your toddler, they can do the drawing, cutting and gluing. Even the youngest child can hold paper and have you guide her hands.

Wendy Sheridan
http://musicforthegoddess.com/mamawitch/

 

 

 

Here is a snowflake candle that I found. This would be a nice decoration to hang around















There are so many different ways you can make candles.

                           
 An Imbolc Blessing:
Cold Winter is gone,
The snow will soon thaw,
Life stirs deep in the Earth.
We sing the Great Goddess
Back with us once more,
To bless the land in it's rebirth.
The snowmelt soon comes,
The trees will draw breath,
The robin will lend us her voice.
Come Pure Maiden,
Bless now your Earth,
In Goddess and Love we rejoice  

Looking forward and looking back

As the new year starts, we look ahead to the endless possibilities that this year can bring to us. Some of us made new year resolutions and things that we want accomplish or things that we want to improve on. It is a time to make your plans for the future. Like the picture keep your eye ahead on the future and you can look back to the past for remembrance and guidance but don't look back to long or you will loose sight of the future.

So let us take time to make our plans and get organized. What ever your goals are you need to make a plan and get started. Now don't fall for the "diet trap." Most people fail at diets because they are to restricting and they make you feel guilty. So take a different approach to your goals by make mini goals. Make little changes at first then after a while make another change and gradually work your self up. Now everyone has good days and bad days and you will find that one day you just fail. Don't let one set back ruin your plans, you just get back up and get back on track. Don't feel guilty if you need some extra time with one of your goals. Guilt only brings you down, so if you are in a spot you may want to adjust your plan. It is ok for you to ask for help. People may say that you are week if you ask for help but on the contrary it is the opposite. It takes a strong person to admit that they need help, so ask. Ask a loved one or talk to a friend. Social media like Facebook can provide some inspiration to our plans and help you through a rough spot.  

Some people say that the baby step program takes longer but it really does not because it also builds your self confidence in other areas. So take the time and do it at a pace that you can do, but remember to challenge your self too. Take out a calendar and make your schedule. Take time everyday to mentally repeat your goals and what your plans are. This will add to your goal as it will strengthen your resolve to succeed in your goals. Remember to stay positive even if you hit a bump. Just like riding a bike, get your self up and get back on and ride like the wind. Good luck.

Happy New Years

I hope everyone had a good New Years. We had fun just staying home and watching movies. Nana got the Forever Knight season 1 and 2 for Yule and Christmas and she has been watching it for the last several days. I decided that I wanted to start my new year on murder and mayhem, so I got on Netflix and watch Charlie Chan movies. They only have a few but they were fun. Then after midnight I started watching Godzilla movies. It is quite funny what kind of different taste we have.

But alas I am rambling a little. So before New Years I posted my highlights of 2013 on Facebook. I have had a full year with the beginning of the birth of my granddaughter Addie. More or less most of my highlights were staged around her. This whole venture to go back to 2013 was a post I saw about the memory jar.



So this picture gave me the inspiration of taking a look back in the year. It would be a fun way to spend some time with the family to share nice memories. This little tip would make a nice stash for reminders that we could store until we are ready. My, myself and I got a camera so I like to take lots and lots of pictures. Just ask my family members and they will tell you I am a pain in the butt on the amount of pictures I take.

So I am suggesting that this might be a good idea to think about. You can just jot down some ideas and put them in the jar and then when you have time later you can come back and do something more. I like to edit my pictures and add the "sparkles." Aubrie really like to scrapbook on paper so I print of the pictures she want and she does her "sparkles." What ever works for anybody. I am also trying to keep up with a blog so who know what is to come. I might make this blog my jar. Who knows?

What ever you decide to do, do it with love and joy in your heart.