30 March, 2013

Simple: Gifts from the Easter Hare.

We don't celebrate Easter, in the religious aspect in our home, but I did want to do something special for Spring for Mara and Porter. Originally when asked, Dan and I told family members we were not doing Easter baskets for the babes; with Mara's food allergies and Porter being so young, it just seemed like a waste to gift them a basket full of sugary things they couldn't have, and celebrating a holiday that we do not observe because well, we aren't Christian. Dan's mother and grandmother got Mara and Porter Easter baskets anyway, because well, sometimes people think you are parenting your child a little too batsh*t crazy and want to give your children a "real" experience. I say that in the most, unbitter way. It is, what it is!

So, rewind to last week, I was reading one of my Waldorf education books, and the season celebrations came up. I read a tidbit about the folklore of the Easter Hare, and with it being non-religious and just a story to delight a child's mind, I changed my stance on Easter baskets. Or Spring gifts, as I like to call them. I still don't believe that these gifts from the Easter Hare should be big and extravagant, the whole idea is about an invisible, magical bunny, so I don't think rushing out and buying new bicycles or spending a bunch of money on material items is the point...

I'm posting this a bit late since Easter is tomorrow, but I figured I would share what I did for Mara (Porter is too little this year, so I didn't make him personalized Easter Hare gifts) as gifts from the Easter Hare, and I didn't spend more then $6. Here is what I used: Dan's grandma's basement is full of forgotten things, and some of those forgotten things came in handy. Stashed away with some holiday stuff was a Wal-Mart bag from 1997 (no joke, really, 1997!) and inside it were two unopened brand new packs of plastic Easter eggs and another opened pack. One pack of miniature ones and a pack of regular sized ones. I grabbed these, along with a handful of Easter chocolate that Dan's mom bagged up for me that were left over from her candy dishes, and a box of Annie's Homegrown Organic Fruit Snacks, brought all of that home. Then when the babes went to sleep, I pulled out our jar of loose change, some glue, construction paper, and a box cutter..we just moved last week into our new house (more on that a different time) and I have no clue where the scissors are, so I used Dan's box cutter from work.


First I stuffed the eggs with the fruit snacks, chocolate, and added pennies to some of the eggs. I wasn't sure what to do with all the small ones, so I put them inside the larger ones (Dan's suggestion, I think it's a fun one!). Tomorrow morning while the babes are distracted, Dan is going to go hide them.

Next, I used the box cutter and construction paper to cut out leaves and flower petals from some spring colored construction paper. Think yellow, pink, green, light blue, light purple, pastels would be great. I thought it would be nice to make Mara a poster with a morning Waldorf verse on it. Something she can use year round, but always be reminded it was given to her in celebration of Spring because of the colors on it. Once all the pieces were cut out, I took a cream colored piece of paper (8x11) and wrote on the verse. Then I took the various pieces and encircled the verse with the leaves and created flowers with the cut out petals. 

After that, I created a small note explaining who the Easter Hare is. Cut out an egg from the spring colored paper, used a different color to create a pattern, glued it onto the note and let it dry. When it was dry, I placed it in a small envelope and addressed it to Mara and decorated the envelope with another spring egg made from construction paper. Then, I wrote Mara a letter from the Great Easter Hare. The letter gave Mara some affirmations on her spirit and as an introduction to another small gift, the Easter Hare left her a special morning verse to say at breakfast everyday to make her day extra magical. He also told her about the eggs he hid outside, but that she had to eat her breakfast first and learn her verse. I wrote the verse on a separate, smaller piece of yellow paper and folded it up to attach to the outside of the Easter Hare's envelope. The verse was in my Waldorf book, and it's encouraged to do a breakfast time verse to give a sense of ritual. I like that I was able to use Easter as a way to incorporate some new Waldorf things that I had been wanting to do, but just hadn't gotten a start on.

Here's the finished products:

I am looking forward to making these simple Easter Hare gifts a tradition, and I think these make great keepsakes for the holiday. What do you do for Easter/Spring Celebration? Do you go big or do you keep it simple as well? Next year, I may do more fruit in place of candy but we are in between grocery trips and I think these gifts are just right. Also, tomorrow (my due date for baby three inside my belly!), we are going to plant our wildflower seeds that came with our Spring Equinox convenience kit, in celebration of Spring. Maybe all the fun activities will convince our little baby inside me to join us!

Have a great rest of the weekend.

24 March, 2013

12/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"
Mara Eden: skipping afternoon nap to play some nature bingo. This was funny, we played for quite a while before we realized she had BINGO!
Porter: apples. Always.

22 March, 2013

Spring Sprouts

Happy Spring, everyone! Except it doesn't feel much like Spring around here. But the season is slowly creeping its way in to our lives. I decided to sign up for the Spring Equinox eCourse that Elisabeth was offering and I am so glad I did. We've had a very fun, very  messy time with all the things that came in the convenience kit I ordered along side of the eCourse. One of the activities for us to do was to try our hand at sprouting our own sprouts!

The eCourse came with instructions and the materials needed for us to sprout the seeds on a tray (minus the tray) after an overnight soak in water, but I found it really messy and I feel like a lot of seeds got dumped out  by mistake since they are so tiny, when being rinsed, so I may try sprouting in a jar next time!
All the seeds are still sprouting and aren't big enough to eat yet, but it's been a fun process and I highly recommend doing it with your babes, or yourself. Mara found it really neat, and Porter is just anxiously waiting to finally get the green light to stuff them in his mouth.

Do you sprout your own sprouts? These were alfalfa sprouts, I would love to know what else people sprout in their kitchens! Or how you enjoy your sprouts? I have plans to throw them into a big ole salad and some raw collard green burritos when ready.

Again, Happy Spring! Just that much closer to summertime!


18 March, 2013

11/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"
Mara Eden: wearing her farmer hat; being a very, very serious story teller.
Porter: loving his fruits and vegetables. Strawberries for sweetness, and carrots for teething relief.

12 March, 2013

What's for Breakfast, Momma?



1. Kiwi and blueberries with ice water.
2. Kiwi and strawberries with ice water.
3. Grapefruit drizzled with raw honey, activated almonds, banana, and strawberries with mixed berry, banana, spinach, coconut oil, lime smoothie.

11 March, 2013

SHOPPING GUIDE: Transitioning to Raw.

Transitioning to raw, has been so enjoyable, but this weekend, man, I did not feel like cooking (well not cooking, but being in the kitchen assembling meals), and we slipped backwards, but have picked up where we left off today. I did make a soup for supper, but it was mainly to use up leftover vegetables and some roast chicken (Dan's grandma gave it to us because she couldn't finish it). But even with having soup for supper, and the rest fresh fruits and vegetables and nut butter, that is a big victory compared to the processed diet we were eating just a week ago. I thought it would be nice to share with you all that are interested in going raw, what I am keeping stocked up in the house during the week.

Fruits:
Oranges (around 8-10 pounds)
Grapefruit (4-6 grapefruits)
Apples (6-8 pounds)
Honeydew Melon (2-4 melons)
Watermelon (the biggest one that I can find)
Blueberries (4-6 cartons)
Kiwi (16 kiwis)
Strawberries (4-6 cartons)
Raspberries (4-6 cartons)
Bananas (10 bushels, roughly 22 pounds total)
Medjool Dates (2 cartons)
Lemons (10-12 lemons)
Limes (10-12 limes)
In the freezer I have been keeping:
mixed berries, cherries, whole strawberries


Vegetables:
Carrots (I picked up 20 pounds of whole carrots this week)
Cabbage (1 savoy, 1 red)
Collard Leaves (1-2 large bunches)
Baby Spinach (roughly 2 pounds)
Avocados (12-14 avocados)
Zucchini (10-12 zucchini)
Roma Tomatoes (3-4 pounds)
Alfalfa Sprouts (1-2 cartons)
Cucumber (5-6 large cucumbers)
Bell Peppers (4 yellow, 4 green, 2 orange)
Garlic (3 heads)
Poblano Peppers (1-3 peppers)
Green Onion (1-2 bunches)
Broccoli (1-2 heads)
Celery (2-4 bunches)

Fresh herbs:
I try to keep a few bunches of mint and cilantro to boost flavors in salads, juices, and ice water.

Nuts:
Raw Almonds (1 pound)
Raw Cashews (1 pound)

Non-Raw Staples
Mara and Porter's taste buds are getting used to the delicious flavors of raw food, so while we are transitioning into raw I still make sure to have the following stuff in the cupboard and/or fridge:
Organic brown rice
Hardboiled eggs (organic, free range)
Black olives
Mozzarella cheese
Feta cheese
Unsweetened Almond milk
Oatmeal
Homemade applesauce

I may have forgotten a few things, but I think I covered most of it. I hope it gives you some ideas on what to buy and what to keep on hand. It's really important to make sure you are getting enough calories, we are eating all through out the day, but I will save all of that for another post soon about meals, snacks, juicing, and some tips of doing raw with little babes. We are a family of four, soon to be five, so this may seem like a lot of produce for a single person or a couple. My biggest tip right now is don't feel like you should be hungry, eat until you are full, and even if you feel hungry shortly after, eat again, fruits and vegetables are VERY low in calories. What do you keep raw in your home?

10/52


"a portrait of my children, every week, in 2013."

Mara Eden: loving being outside. Mid 40's this past weekend and it felt so nice.
Porter: chubby cheeked, pudgy fists, and falling in love with books, mainly the upside down ones. 
Note: I missed posting 9/52, the past few weeks have been hectic; and we are less then three weeks away from Eisley's due date. Oh my gosh, where has the time gone?!

08 March, 2013

Making Life What You Want It To Be.


Money isn't everything. With our Spending Fast and trying to get out of debt and save for that little house on the big lot of land we dream of, I tend to stay too focused on money, and lately it's been frustrating. We have the power to make life everything we want it to be. For everyone it is different, but I found this image on a post from Holistic Dad and thought it was worth sharing and that everyone can take away something from it. Simple, but it gave me a big reminder about how some of the most cherished things in my life, don't require money. Spending time with my family, laughing with Dan, creating memories, even if it is just taking a walk around the block and Mara collecting dirty snowballs to take home and keep in the freezer. They are free. 

So today, I'm encouraging you to do three things that are absolutely free, and soak it all in. Please feel free to comment below with your three free things. I just got instagram last night, so if you want to play along with me, I am going to be taking pictures of my three free things and tagging them with #threefree.

follow me on instagram @thetinywild


07 March, 2013

Naked Series: Claudia from Mara Bear Says


Hello! I am so excited to have another guest post for the Naked series to share with you all! This guest post is from Claudia over at Mama Bear Says. Claudia's blog is one of the few blogs I make a point to read regularly, and I am always inspired by her posts. If you haven't visited her blog before, go take a look. You will not be disappointed. I am also obsessed with her pinterest boards. Thank you so much, Claudia, I know your story will be understood and felt by so many of us.

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this is me. this is not the same me that was 13 years ago, not even 7 years ago. the girl back then (i sure am not a girl anymore) didn´t have these wrinkles, or the extra "baggage" that comes from bringing beautiful babies into the world, or breast feeding like crazy. even so, i have never felt more in tune with myself or happier before, and i feel obligated (seeing that i am writing from a very honest place in my heart) to be very straight forward and confess that this peaceful acceptance, the easy rythym of my life, the simplicity of it, the baking, cooking, the vegetable garden, the early morning meditation, the warm hugs, the discussions and coming back together as naturally as the ocean´s tide, the way i care for those around me, the way i teach my children to care for themselves, their planet, etc, has not come easily. it is the result of many, many a tearful prayer, hardship and a deep resignation i found was the only way to save my heart, if, and only if, i wrapped it safely in faith and light. you see the road here has been a long one. many years of me disrespecting myself, my body. in any possible way. in short (and i hope daddy doesn´t read this -mama already knows- and that my sweet readers don´t judge me too harshly): 10 years of way too much smoke in my lungs, too many 1 night stands, loads of drugs and infinite spiritual loss. i had no idea how to love myself. i was always searching outside for something or someone to make me feel the way i simply couldn´t feel on my own. full. happy. enough. i was never enough. and after a while no matter what i did, nothing was ever enough. i can safely say i was saved by my son. about 13 years ago, the day i found out i was pregnant, i found the strength i needed to leave it all behind. i was saving someone else, and that, no matter how hard it was, i could do. since then it´s been years and years of learning to shift that impulse and inspiration (my children) to myself. doing all the beautiful things i do, not only for them, but for myself as well. it is a special feeling when you start to notice you´re doing something because you love yourself. not from the "I deserve it, dammit!" point of view, but simply because caring for yourself is not just "all right", it´s how it should be. i realize the best way to give my children the gift of self-respect, acceptance and love, is if they see their mama respecting, accepting and loving herself. they see the struggle. they also see the outcome.
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i find that everyday i wake up i keep bumping into ways in which i still dis-respect the body i was given. running out of the house without having breakfast, carrying way too much laundry and hurting my bad knee, or simply not remembering or accepting that many of the ways in which we live our life (the organic, homemade cooking, the no shampoo or chemicals, the natural cleaners i make, my endless efforts) are also for me. but that´s why every new day should be exciting, it´s just a new opportunity to observe and learn one more little thing. for example, i had always had weight issues. the too skinny type of weight issues. i could never seem to weigh more than 99 pounds, sometimes i would drop to about 92 pounds. even after the 2 pregnancies. it´s been a little over 2 years now, exactly around the time where i wrecked my knee and had to stop and give myself a good look, that i started gaining weight. amazingly i began to feel more feminine. i always thought that not having the flat abs would make me feel very bad about myself. now i realize that we women were made to have curves (duh. took me a while, huh?). now i see myself in the mirror and i feel beautiful. i´m not perfect. and when i "was" i wasn´t happy. now you can clearly tell i have been through 2 pregnancies, breastfeeding, and that i´m in my mid 30´s. now i weigh 110-114 pounds, i can literally see my face starting to sag and my happy wrinkles are not going anywhere (au contraire, they seem to be  inviting their friends over for the party). i don´t cover them up with makeup, i don´t dye my hair (digg in and you´ll find some serious gray in there), i don´t wonderbra the fact that i have almost no boobs left, i make my own deodorant and use a diva cup. i am no longer willing to hurt myself. send the message out, "i don´t love myself", and look and see, how the world works towards helping us unlove ourselves. now try sending out the "i love myself just the way i am" message, and even if it´s just for a second, you will feel a recognizable warmth in your heart. give it a try. i insist, we are not perfect. but we sure as hell are beautiful. and the biggest love we deserve to give ourselves is our own.
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Be sure to check out Claudia's beautiful blog Mama Bear Says

06 March, 2013

What's for breakfast, Momma?

I've been meaning to do another, "What's for breakfast, Momma?" post but always forget to take pictures, or never get around to uploading them. So, I apologize, but this, "What's for breakfast, Momma?" post is picture-less.

Lately, Dan and I have been making a serious effort to eliminate processed foods, additives, preservatives, anything fake from our diet. Mara has been suffering from night terrors and tummy issues, for several months and it was related to some sort of food allergy, but we could never pinpoint what exactly. So, more recently, we decided to transition into a raw food diet. I am not a fan of all the fancy, gourmet, mock raw recipes that can be found all over the internet, so when we stumbled across Fully Raw Kristina and her youtube videos, I was inspired to try her raw approach, which is pretty much eating just fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are still transitioning, I still steam/saute some vegetables, continue to cook brown rice, and we've had a few slip ups along the way. The biggest challenge has been grocery shopping. It's easy to find resources on how to eat raw on a budge for one person, but what about two adults and two (almost three) children? It's been quite costly, we don't have a local CSA, co-op, or grocer that sells produce in bulk. We easily spent 1/2 of our monthly food budget, in under a week.

So we have tried to make a list of what produce we absolutely have to have, what produce is a luxury (berries are very costly!), and how we can get the most out of backyard garden space when its to plant stuff (we had totally planned on amending the soil this upcoming weekend to get things ready for planting at the end of the month but we got a random winter storm, so that is on hold.) The beauty of Kristina's Fully Raw concept/approach is to have this unlimited abundance and eat to your hearts content because what you are eating is good for you. Costly, but good for you. I am determined to find a way for us to do this without going over our monthly budget.

Since a raw diet, requires more to get in your calories, I have pretty much let Mara and Porter eat whenever they please through out the day. I was concerned about this at first, since I thought they needed a structure, but, fruits and vegetables are so low in calories, and with all the running around they do, their little bodies use up those few calories, fast! We still have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'm just much more open to letting them snack through out the day, since it isn't junk. So what have we been having for breakfast? Fruit, and lots of it!

Normally when we get up, Mara wants to eat, so once both babes are dressed, I begin preparing a large plate of fruit. Lately it's been one half of a honey dew, one half of a watermelon, two varieties of berries, banana, and grapes. We sit down together and eat until we are full. Typically there is fruit left over, to snack on through out the next few hours before I have to pull out any new fruit. Right now, oranges, bananas, and kiwi's are what was cheapest this week, so those are snacks, as well as the grapes. I also picked up some dates that were on sale, but have not gotten around to making the homemade "larabars" I have wanted to make with them as a snack.

When Dan is home and I have help, we've been juicing, and just bought a blender yesterday so I am looking forward to trying out this breakfast smoothie, that is loaded with oranges and banana. Hopefully over the weekend I'll be able to snap some more photos and share some juices that are Mara and Porter approved with you guys.

02 March, 2013

A Package Came...



A package came in the mail today. It was our custom order from my friend Lindsi's shop, People Webs. Mara and Porter each have custom made baby blankets, and baby Eisley was going to need one. Lindsi is really great about making custom orders for me, and I'm really happy how the purple ombre look I was going for, turned out. Mara and Porter were also in need of some "quiet slippers" to wear when we need things calm in the house and its time to color or read, and I am so in love with them. Porters feet and legs are so chunky and shapeless his little black slippers will melt your heart. Mara is in love with her slippers and insist that they make her a ballerina.

People Webs also has a selection of bow headbands, scarves, and slippers for lady feet. Be sure to take a look and pick something up. Or if you just want to look, head over to Lindsi's blog and look at all her pretty creations, projects, and her cute pug, Fig.