Our First Friday Rhythm (and Fourth of July)

Those curls! Swoon
Found these images on my camera. Looks like K was playing around when I went to get the watermelon wands:

This year's Fourth of July celebration may have been our best yet (although I don't know that I will ever be able to top the first year). I think spending all day with the chickens helped (and watching them eat watermelon). It was simple and low key as always with plenty of room for play. Each year we basically spend the entire day outside and the kids get to stay up way past their bedtimes to watch fireworks and roast vegan marshmallows over the fire. I always look forward to this day. Time spent as a family with no computers, no phones and no distractions I think we need to have more summer days/nights like this.

I have been playing with the idea of getting a projector so we can watch movies outside in the evenings under the stars. While we still do not do very much screen time, we started a tradition of having a movie night on the first Friday of each month. Don't tell anyone but we even eat some junky food like pizza and ice cream for that one day a month. *gasp* We call it First Friday Family Fun Movie Night.  A good long name to bring about giggles among the children trying to say it. So far the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Narnia and some Shirley Temple movies have been enjoyed. It is so hard to find wholesome family movies now - we really struggle with just finding one good one a month! Any suggestions?

Our First Friday Rhythm (and Fourth of July)

Our new nighttime rhythm {thank you!}

On Tuesday Little L asked me if he could sleep in his own bed. I explained that I hadn't set it up yet but that we could do it Wednesday night. He seemed to like the idea. As I talked about it with the girls they felt that he needed some sort of celebration or party for such a big milestone. K said it was like he was graduating. I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea (and great motivation for the girls to finally finish cleaning their room that they started working on the day before) so the girls and I made our plans.

When Wednesday came, the girls woke up, bathed, got themselves and Little L dressed in what they felt was their finest party attire (please notice the bow tie on L - ack, cuteness overload!), and set to work drawing pictures to be presents for Little L. I worked on a lemon cake. We used our favorite recipe but opted to have frosting this time around. When the girls finished their pictures I asked them to help me set up his corner of the room. I had removed our dresser the day before (it was severely damaged by the movers anyways) to make room for his bed. Thankfully our bedroom is just big enough for our bed and his.

We made his bed a space all his own. I sewed him a new construction vehicles pillowcase for his little pillow, hung bookshelves for sleepy time browsing, made his bed with new (to us) shark sheets and quilt, and the girls hung their pictures on the walls above his bed. We then went outside for lunch and cake and showed him his new space afterwards. He was ready to go to bed that minute but had to wait.

After dinner we did our usual bedtime routine (it's still pretty much the same as what I posted a couple of years back here, but add on a few chores involving kitties and minus the nursing), and after I tucked the girls into their beds Little L and I went into our room. By this time it was 6:30. I already hade some lavender essential oil burning nearby to help him ease into this new transition. Little L hopped into his bed as I closed the curtains and set a water bottle and hankie on a little chair next to his bed. I tucked him in and read Freddie's Blanket which, in my opinion, is the quintessential book for such a transition. As I read about Freddie's Mama wrapping Freddie up in his new blanket, I pulled the blanket I knit for Little L while he was still in my womb up on him. He snuggled up to it and smiled. After I finished the story, I explained to him that it was bedtime and he needed to stay in his bed unless he really needed me. Then we said our goodnights and I walked into the room just across from ours. He seemed rather content with the whole situation. I mentally prepared myself for him staying up to the late hours of the night as he has been doing these past couple of months. But when I popped my head in at 7:16, I couldn't believe my eyes, something magical had happened - he fell asleep! He really was ready for his own space. Granted he hopped back in bed with me around midnight but at least he started the night out in his own bed - really that's what matters so that we can all get our much needed rest and down time.

Of course, I don't expect every night will go this smoothly (in fact he came to visit me a couple of times as I typed this, but then fell asleep by 7:46) but I am thankful for this positive beginning and the proof I needed that this is a step in the right direction for him - the right thing at the right time. Thank you again to all of you for your suggestions and support! I wanted to share a really helpful link from LifeWays on sleep, naptime and bedtime my dear friend gave me. It's really a huge help. You can find it here.

Our new nighttime rhythm {thank you!}

Rhythm In Our Home : Creative Spaces (mine)

Since I shared one of the girls' creative spaces for Rhythm In Our Home before, I thought I would continue on with my creative space. Everyone needs their own special place in their home to get away, wouldn't you agree? Well, this is mine - In it's full unorganized and messy glory. It's nothing pretty, but it serves it's purpose. Knitting, sewing and creating are a huge outlet of mine and help me hang on to my sanity. A space dedicated to these things seemed only proper.



My corner is located in the bottom level/basement of our split level home. It's dark and dingy down here and the 70's wood walls don't help much. If we had more time and/or money I would do something about all of that but that's just not a possibility. Even so, I am grateful and rather content with it. My sewing machine (Betty) sits out in her space on my desk all year round which is a blessing to me. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I had sewing projects I wanted to work on but never got to, due to having to dig out my sewing machine and set up at the kitchen table. I didn't have any kind of crafting space back in our Virginia home. Kevin, however, did have an office space (for the record label he was running at the time),and the dogs had their own bedroom - Hmmmm.... Anyways, this is where I spend my nights, right next to the warm cozy fire with the baby monitor humming, my husband in the chair next to me (if I am lucky and he's home at a decent hour), and a dog sleeping at my feet.

Because this space is basically in a cave, it is really hard to photograph it. I apologize for the lack of pictures and the pictures that I did post. I had a rough time just getting these ones.

I have a long thin Ikea desk that is just perfect for holding my sewing machine at one end and Kevin's computer at the other. Above it are some shelves Kevin installed for me. The top shelf holds secret surprise projects, my yarn swift and winder, things that need mending and a couple of other random things. (the fact that I am unsure of those things means that I need to clean that shelf!)The shelf below that holds all of my fabric, sewing notions and wool felting supplies. The next shelf holds my yarn stash and my drop spindle and then finally, the bottom shelf holds my knitting needles, embroidery supplies, current WIPs and my craft books.(most of which can be seen here)



One of my favorite pieces of K art hangs by my sewing machine. She drew this in school last year the day after her 5th birthday celebration. Things made by my children really inspire me.


I have an old, beat up filing cabinet we found on craigslist to hold all of my knitting and sewing patterns, wool felt, tissue paper and other things of that nature. On top of the cabinet sits my knitting WIP basket.



Kevin's cup from childhood holds some regularly used notions, and it just plain old makes me smile!

Well, there you go. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Please remember - this is just our family rhythm and what works for us at the moment. I am by no means an expert of any kind. This isn't meant to be hard and fast rules on how rhythm should go in every one or any one's homes. I just thought to share it because I receive quite a few e-mails asking about our home rhythm, and I also just wanted it documented for myself so that I may remember these times when they are older and/or on to another rhythm.

There's still time to enter for your chance to win a $25 credit to Dandelion Dream here. Don't miss this great giveaway!

Rhythm In Our Home : Creative Spaces (mine)

Rhythm In Our Home : Unintentional Traditions

A few Christmas day photos - yes, C is wearing a snow suit in the pictures. It was a Christmas gift and she just had to wear it right away. Baby L and I were/are very excited that Nana got him Freddie's Blanket. I see new knitting projects on the horizon.



Sometimes the best family traditions are the ones that you never even intended to become traditions in the first place. The ones started on a whim, that you didn't think you would do again. For us, our yearly Christmas walk/hike is one of those traditions. We started it last year, when the girls received a canopyfor their red wagon and needed to test it out.

Then when this Christmas came it was such a beautiful day that we all felt that we had to be outside. It didn't seem like Christmas if we didn't take that walk. This time, instead of our usual neighborhood/cemetery walk we hiked an unexplored (by us) area in our woods.



K and C both walked Nara. C got upset when Nara took off on her, though. We then thought it best that Daddy walk Nara.



Every time we pass through the cemetery by our house, K collects wild flowers or flower petals she finds on the ground and places them at the graves that do not have any. I love that she does this.



















Hows that for unexpected??











Arms filled with treasures, as always.



Oh yes, this is a family favorite tradition we will continue year after year, no matter the weather or where we live.

Please remember - this is just our family rhythm and what works for us at the moment. This isn't meant to be hard and fast rules on how rhythm should go in every one or any one's homes. I just thought to share it because I receive quite a few e-mails asking about our home rhythm, and I also just wanted it documented for myself so that I may remember these times when they are older and/or on to another rhythm.

Thank you, again, for joining me in the rhythm fun! Here is the linky list. If you have a (new or old) link you would like to share about your family rhythm, please enter it below so that we all may see. Please don't forget to link back here in your post. How else will we all be able to share and be inspired? I look forward to seeing your inspiration!
Thanks friends!


P.S. - Is my header blurry to anyone else, or is it just me? I edited it on Picnik and it's clear in my files but then blurry on the blog - how can I fix this?

Rhythm In Our Home : Unintentional Traditions