Magical Hands

Our day in photos

Good morning Elvis!

Off we go.....

to the gym....

to play some basketball...

then some swinging at the playground....

and more swingin....

to the grocery store....

and the coop....

and through the alley for some echoing....

then home for some lunch and watercolors-

Studying the earth....

workin on the piano....

and a limbo....

dancin at the sock hop in Grandma and Papa's basement.

eating popcorn....

relaxin a bit....

watching the sunset, waiting for the snow to melt and the lake to thaw....

POOR, SHELTERED, homeschoolers......

 

Four Faves

A bit about myself.....

Magazines:                           

Blueprint                    

Dwell                               

The Sun

Kindred

Books:

The Bell Jar

Farenhiet 451

Naked lunch

Anything Tennessee

Movies:

True Romance

The Thin Man

Four Rooms

The Jerk

A time for Change

A corner...., originally uploaded by MagicalHands.

Pajama day

Today was one of those reading, crafting, card playing, movie watching, pizza eating, pajama wearing days.  A lovely day indeed.

Morning light

Wishing you a peaceful day.

How to frustrate an allergist....

Over a year ago, our homeopathic doc suggested that Charlie may have had a gluten intolerance and suggested we remove it from his diet for a few months.  We did just that and found that he, in fact, did. When off the gluten he could sit still, concentrate, he stopped "pacing", and could hold eye contact while talking to someone.  We kept Charlie gluten free for a year or so when the doc suggested we ween him and see if he could tolerate it.  Well, within days he was walking in circles, scratching all over his body, and shouting EVERYTHING.  So there I went back online.....  I finally called an allergist, on a whim, and asked if he would let the kids and I come in for skin tests for allergies.  (our insurance provider would not cover a majority of the allergy tests if done by the homeopathic doc)

The first thing he told me was about the "wheat" controversy, and how he as a "medical" doctor could not justify testing for a wheat allergy unless Charlie displayed more than behavioral symptoms.  He has to have diarrhea, hives, etc. Ugh.

Charlie and Al reacted to wheat and milk.( yup, I got my way) That explains the runny nose Al's had since I can remember.

And mommy......

The doc tried to set me up with 2 injections twice a week for the next five years, along with some steroids and an antihistamine.  He also gave Al steroids.(which she will not receive)

If anyone has suggestions for natural paths I could take, I'd appreciate them.  Peppermint oil seems to work for Al's sniffles most of the time. Has anyone tried dandelion?

Peace

Reading and crafting

We enjoyed a morning at the library with stories and crafts.  I have a video of this(but have no idea how to download to typepad) -the librarian handed out balloons obviously not knowing that kids can make an assortment of very loud sounds with them. 

We brought some friends home for an afternoon of fishing and more crafting. 

Al went back to the library for a second time this afternoon for her book club.  I think she enjoys being the youngest in the group-it is a challenge for her. I plan on unpacking my new sewing machine tomorrow and giving it a whirl!  Al's birthday is coming up and she wants a( everything) handmade party.  How can I argue with that?

Sibling love

Charlie was thrilled to receive a hat made by Alison.  She has been crocheting for a couple of years and has decided it is cool to make her own patterns.   She recently learned how to knit with two needles and I have a feeling we will be gifting scarves for quite some time! 

We had a nice, uneventful day.....perfect.

That's more like it

We welcomed family from afar this weekend!  Oh how wonderful it is to see them again!  On Friday's post I was a bit concerned with slowing down and allowing my children "down" time.  Today was an excellent example of how (I believe) a childhood should be.  We woke up and headed right over to Grandma's in our jammies.  The gals prepared two HUGE pans of lasagna while the fellas, and Al, went out for a relaxing afternoon of fishing.  When were finished preparing lunch we all gathered around the table for a few rounds of cards and laughed until we could no more. When the "guys" returned they all sat down with the kids and played a few hands. After dinner  Al knitted in Papa's recliner while Mary read her new special books , and Charlie zipped around the house on his scooter.  We finally returned home rested and stuffed.  Now, doesn't that sound like a perfect day?

Thank you to the Dahl's and Slane's for a wonderful reunion.  We love you.

Gentle Rythm

I remember , as a child, sitting my star wars figures at a table in my doll house and announcing the arrival off "Queen Cuddles", who happened to be my pet hamster.  I had Darth Vader  make her bed-because I HATED making my bed and I didn't really care for him much.  I had a huge crush on Luke so he was ALWAYS her husband.  I literally did this for hours everyday.  I'd pack them all up and take them on a wagon ride to the park or to the lake  swimming.  I found solitude alone and could easily fill an empty afternoon with imaginative play. 

I often wonder if I give my children the time for these moments of solitude?  Lately, my kids seem exhausted and overstimulated.  They aren't getting the "time" they need to explore and create.   They need fewer scheduled activities and more room to breathe. 

We try to be relaxed in everything we do.  My children enjoy the company of one another (most of the time).  We bake,  learn, create, travel, laugh, cry, and even sleep together.  There really isn't a lot we don't do "together".  Not due to my fear of the outside world, but out of our true love of being parents.   I want the gentle flow  back into our lives.  It has slowly slipped away over the past year. Ack.

  I am going to  look at our schedule and omit the activities that don't enrich our days.  I will slow down and enjoy each days doings.