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Our Cozy Long Weekend

January 21, 2009 By Laura 10 Comments

We’d like to gush just a BIT more, about how much we are enjoying this wood stove. Honestly, I may never get over the sheer joy, of having it. We have gained a room to use in the winter! It’s open to our living area anyway, which is open to the kitchen, which is open the school/eating room… so it’s a perfect extension to the main space of our home. So cozy, and so beautiful too look out our windows, that surround us. We all just spend a lot of time in there — schooling, playing games, reading, chatting-all by the fireside. It’s been lovely!

This past weekend, we had a major shift of plans. We were supposed to have ONE more Christmas celebration on Sunday, gathering with my side of the family-all of whom live long distance. We were all so looking forward to it! But….the snowfall predictions put an end to everyone’s travel plans.

So instead, we had a relaxing weekend alone, together. There was plenty of good food to eat though, as we had just shopped for our big gathering!! So the eatin’ was good for days!! Still is, actually! lol

See that pan on the stove top? That is a delicious hot drink we have simmering. Want to peek inside??

It’s a hot cider drink, and we had no idea how delicious it would be. I got the recipe from another blog, but I’ll be darned if I remember where!! I must say though……I wasn’t sure I was going to love it. Or even like it. But just the thought of the citrus aroma it would likely fill our home with, was enough to encourage me to make it anyway. SOMEONE would probably like it.

We were all set to give it a sip or 2, when it was ready. But it had to simmer for awhile first.

Meanwhile, we had a few things we could get done. Like…..undecorate our very Christmas-sy home, perhaps?! Yes, our tree has been up all of this time! Along with all of our other decorations (of which many of you have all probably seen, with all of the photos I took and posted. BOY that was FUN!!) And we really enjoyed them. But…we were ready for them to get packed up again for awhile! I must say…..our home looked a little….naked….for a day or so after wards. But it seems normal again now.

By the time that packing up was done, our cider was ready!! It sure smelled good. But still….I was leery. Mine was a very cautious first sip. One of the ingredients is orange juice….and the thought of warm orange juice was making me cringe a little bit. But as it turned out…..we all LOVED IT. Everyone had TWO cupfuls, and they all want to make it again very, very soon.

We brought the woodpile in, to keep it dry. Which I didn’t mind much, because I love woodpiles. Remember? We were wondering if any bugs would thaw out in there, and come come scurrying out! But none ever did, thankfully. Nonetheless, we’ll be thinking on better wood-storing ideas, when the time comes to stock up on a huge amount of wood.

The snow was really coming down some parts of the day, and it was nice to have no place to go, and just watch it….

and sip some more.

I’ve got to tell you a little bit about this pot on our stove too………

….. Since we talked a little about treasured family pieces, this is one of our own. It was in this home when we bought it. As I mentioned earlier, we had an inset wood/coal stove in a brick wall we knocked out when we added this sunroom, (and a school room/ eating area…..and a whole second story….). It was a black iron stove, inset into a brick fireplace, with a stone hearth. I did love the look of the whole stove/fireplace, with our crooked brick mantel, but we only used the stove itself a handful of times. Reason being, there were issues with the chimney, which really needed work, if not rebuilding! We felt it posed a possible fire hazard in the chimney. It let awful smoke in the house too. What’s more, it would have been very difficult to keep little ones away from it through those years, being dangerously hot to the touch. They are older now, and know better, of course. Anyway, we never invested in getting the chimney fixed, because we were holding onto our hopes and dreams of remodeling our home anyway, which we really needed for a family of 6. We were finally able to do that, and it has been our little dream come true….even though we still haven’t finished it. (But the journey has been gratifying!) So, the day that excavator ripped that old chimney, entire wall and stove off of our house….we saved this pot of course, before it was buried in the rubble. (My 3 kids, who were 4 at the time, napped right through that event, and woke up to a HUGE gaping whole, where the wall and stove/fireplace used to be, and into their suddenly very messy yard!) I love that the pot is L.L. Bean. That company has great stuff, but we never purchase anything from them because they are beyond our budget! But…we do have this pot!! I should add…..we only keep it filled with water, and it puts some moisture into the air.

My. That was a long paragraph.

SO! Here’s a really easy COMMENT assignment for you:

Say ” I “, if you’d like me to post this DELICIOUS CIDER RECIPE for you. It smells and tastes wonderful!! And you don’t even need a wood stove to make it…..any stove at all will do. It’s a perfect winter treat!

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Baptism by Fire – Our WESO Wood and Coal Ceramic Stove

January 18, 2009 By Laura 57 Comments

If you’ve been a visitor of our blog for awhile, you may have noticed that we just get silly-excited, about the darndest things. About lots of things, all kinds of things, and sometimes most anything. : ) That’s just how we are. Sometimes, those things have to do with accomplishments with our home. If you knew the transformation our home has taken, and what we’ve been through to make it happen, you’d probably appreciate that more. That’s another ‘post all it’s own’, but needless to say…..it’s been a very long, but very exciting journey. And having done most of the work ourselves (which is still a work in progress), every single ‘check off the list’ is a big deal to us. So indulge us, won’t you please? Because we’re jumping up and down here with excitement!

ONE of our home projects has been to get this wood/coal stove vented to the outside. It’s a WESO Ceramic Radiant Heat Wood and Coal Stove.
And it’s a family piece. More on that in a bit.

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Except….we needed a chimney, since our old one was knocked out with a wall, and was falling apart anyway. The sun room this stove is in now, is in it’s place. So…..hooking up this stove, and getting a proper chimney up, that would pass inspection of course, was a major project. We had a deadline goal to get it done by, that was really important to us.

It was BEFORE LAST WINTER began!

Obviously, we missed that goal by a long shot! But it did get done, in all thanks to my husband, who can do all things, when he decides to. And he’s ambitious.
😉 He cut a hole through the ceiling and roof just so, got everything squared away and boxed in, and patched up the ceiling in no time at all. Well….a few days. lol His brother in-law did send one of his roofing guys over, to do the roof part properly. (Thank you BIL!!) But my husband even assembled the mile-high chimney on the roof all by himself >>> during the 2 absolute coldest days of the winter so far—in the single digits. Crazy I tell you.

I know…we’re looking a bit like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory now. (Actually, that wouldn’t be an entirely bad thing, if it were true. lol). But hey…..it gets the job done. And it meets inspection standards.

I have a thing about woodpiles. I think because they mean FIRES ARE GOING TO HAPPEN! I have always loved fires. Well….the good ones. Wood stove fires. Camp fires. Those kind. And our whole family really enjoys them together whenever we can. It’s a such a big-fun-deal to the kids, when we build fires outdoors, just to sit around and chat….which we do quite a bit in the summer and early fall. Sometimes we even have s’mores! Plus….woodpiles are so…country-ish. We just love the smell of wood burning, too.

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Back to the stove (and re-using this photo). We’re not only SO excited to be having a real wood/coal stove for our home, because we love having fires to gather around, making our home cozy, and just adding to the comforts of home feel. But this stove in particular, has meaningful family history. It’s a WESO ceramic wood and coal stove, made in the mid 1970’s, and it was Michael’s (my husband’s) grandparent’s stove. They had it up in their home in Maine, practically for all of his childhood.

That makes it really special, because Michael was really close to his Nana, and spent a lot of time up there. Even his school vacations, if he could. He often brought one of his friends, all of whom took him right up on that offer, because his Nana was cool! So he essentially grew up with this stove. It was there all the years I knew his Nana, and visited her with him, as well. When his Nana passed away (about 8 years after his grandfather), the stove went to his parents home, where he grew up. By then of course, he was no longer living at home. We were planning to get married by then. But nonetheless, it was there in their home, where we often visited and gathered, for years into our marriage and having four children, until his parents sold the home and moved.

That’s when we took it, in Nov 2006. And we’ve been waiting to make it part of our home, ever since.

The older we get, the more family pieces mean to us. To have things around our home that have family history, is just such a blessing. We don’t have a whole lot. Lots of little things that are just as precious. But this stove is a treasure to us. It’s a beauty!! And it was finally time to start her up!! Heading into a bitter cold weekend, too.

This corner, and just to the left of it where our french doors into the rest of our home are, is the only parts of the room that are windowless. This room is pretty much all windows, and a sliding glass door out to the deck. LOTS of natural light. We are essentially surrounded by the outdoors, but inside. We have spent A LOT of time in here……even though it is no where near decorated or furnished as it will be. The kids just LOVE this room as well, and spend a lot of time in it too….until the winters came. It just got BITTER cold out there. The stone tiles were like ice. So when we come in the front door, we kick off our shoes and get through the french doors and into the house as soon as possible. It’s been a 3 season room.

But not anymore. It’s finally a 4 season room! I have to say…..it’s been one very enjoyable, very snowy, and very cozy weekend for us, here in our home. We’ve spent much of it in this room…..surrounded by a winter wonderland, but warm as can be. Just gathered together as a family, hanging out by the fire. Right where we love to be.

We’ll be back to tell you more about our cozy weekend really soon. Meanwhile, if you have any really treasured family pieces as part of your home, we’d love to hear about them! It doesn’t matter what it is, big or small, pretty or not…..if it matters to you, it matters! Please feel free to share family pieces with us if you have a moment.

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God’s World News / World News Group – A Newspaper for Your Kids!

January 17, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

(now….)

* See UPDATE Below.

Hi there Everyone!!

We’ve been wanting to share with our readers, a subscription that we have found our children really, really benefit from. It’s put out by * ** God’s World News, and there are various titles, for various reading/age/grade levels to fit the level of any child, Pre-K through young teens! We have received it for a number of years, and it has proved to be a valuable and educational news source throughout. It’s a newspaper for kids!!

* UPDATE/Revision: God’s World News is now: WORLD News Group – The links in this post (for God’s World News), will still bring you to the correct site, under their new titles. From there, there are individual site links to the newspaper for the proper age range for your child(ren): God’s Big World/Pre-Schoolers, worldkids/Elementary age, WORLD TEEN/Teenagers
** IMPORTANT NOTE: Although the titles of the newspapers has changed, the high quality content has not! The intent of the newspaper publications, for age appropriate world news, reported in the light of faith, remains unchanged.

(Is this photo of our boy, reading his newspaper, not a RIOT??! He often does sit just like this….while reading, at Mass, etc. It always cracks us up, but he looked especially like a little man, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, reading his newspaper. Look at his flickering toes. lol)

Our triplet 6 year olds receive God’s Word News-Early Edition (now World Kids). Our 11 year old receives God’s World News-Top Story (now World Teen).

Our kids benefit from their age-appropriate newspaper-magazines so much, because they ENJOY it so much! They enjoy it so much, because it has SO much to offer! There is a LOT in each edition, and a huge (educational) variety at that. If you homeschool your kids, we highly recommend this subscription! If your kids are enrolled in school, we highly recommend this subscription! : ) This rave review is fueled solely by our family receiving this magazine, and us as parents, consistently seeing what happens with our kids, when they get it into their hands. They get many hours of social studies educational exposure and information from each issue. All in the name of QUIET for us FUN for them! That’s why we had to tell you all about it…..it just seems like it’s something GREAT for any and all kids! Read on.

I don’t know about you, but I want my kids to know what is going on in the world. They should generally be aware of current events, politics, new-breaking stories, scientific findings, history, etc. But in an age appropriate way!
The problem is, television news, as well as newspaper news, are not geared towards communicating to children.

Naturally, it’s not their mission, as it is all meant to inform adults, and rightly so. So it’s simply not conveyed in a way all children would understand, nor necessarily be emotionally ready for.

That’s what we love about this magazine. In it HIGHLY informative about the world’s news, presented in a way to catch and hold kid’s attention, and is easily understood, in kids’ terms and ways they can relate to. It draws them in. In younger level editions, it’s snippets of info they can read and truly comprehend and retain. Older kid’s issues are generally the same topics, but with more detail, longer articles and a more in-depth study overall. Then additional stuff. What I love most, is that the contents is delivered in a Christian/Biblical Worldview style.

But it’s not just serious current events news stories. Each issue is also jam packed with (reading, of course), science, history, geography, weather, funny stories, etc. And all with LOTS of photos. There are games, experiments, activities and puzzles that strengthen skills such as logic, observation, process of elimination, …. the list goes on. AND on!

Beyond the magazine itself, they have a website that has even MORE to supplement each edition. There are parent/teacher resources, bonus pages to enhance or expand on all the kids have learned, and even quizzes and keys you can use. There is LOTS at the web site, that is another educational tool all it’s own.

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When our kids are reading their issues, they are so amused by something, or intrigued with something they learned, that they feel compelled to share it with us, or read it to us. Sometimes, they ask questions, because they want to know more and more. This often launches great discussions to have with your children, that can get as deep as you want, or give you an opportunity to ask them questions, that encourage them to think through concepts, varied opinions, or their own perspectives. It’s a wonderful tool to help jump-start really good discussions, about often very important topics in the world, with your children.

For example: Here, {A} is reading about Fidel Castro-how he came to be a dictator, his ways of dictatorship, and all of the effects it has had on his country.

Here’s another page of Top Story (sorry about the glare. : ):

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Each issue (all editions for all ages) most always has wonderful maps, educational fold-out spreads, and/or pull-out posters, like this one:

I love also, how these arrivals in our mailbox, bring our kids together too! They love to share with each other what they are reading, and have discussions of their own about the topic. They end up laughing together, reading together, learning together, which all means they are simply enjoying more of being ….together!

If you find yourself remotely intrigued, we encourage you to check out the God’s World News web site. Look around!! There are peeks inside these subscriptions, and you are also likely able to get a free copy if you request one, to decide for yourself what you think of them! For us, it’s been just too good of a great thing, NOT to let any parent, or teaching parent, know about this amazing tool. We find it WELL worth the cost of the subscription. We all know that our kids learn the most, when they are enjoying what they are doing, or enjoying HOW they are learning…anything at all! The more ways we can find to give them that, the better. Because when they are having fun learning, they want to learn more and more and more. So we hope you find this newspaper-magazine to be ‘good mail’ in your family.

We’re pretty excited about MANY things we’ve got coming up to share with you on our blog, so come back soon!! In the meantime, if your kids are receiving a subscription, or have a book, or watch a show….that YOU find very valuable, educational, and they really enjoy, please share it with us! We know there is a wealth of info and resources out there, and what better way than to share it with each other, complete with reviews and gold stars!

We hope you are all enjoying this long weekend!

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Expending the Kids’ Winter Energy: tumble, dribble, roll, pass, jump, shoot, balance, block, ….

January 11, 2009 By Laura Leave a Comment

In warmer seasons, we have more options to be active around where we live, than we can count. We reside right at the seaside, for one thing. Talk about a world all it’s own to explore, discover, create, learn, and deplete your energy. We spend a lot of the time at the shore, where we have deeded private beach rights. Aside from there, there’s plenty of places to go and things to do all over town. Beautiful, scenic places to hike, historical sites and experiences by the handfuls, multiple playgrounds, field trips, endless activities; exploring, experiencing, and learning everywhere, right at our fingertips. Most of which is outdoors, where kids can get out all of the energy they have.

Winter is another story!

While playing outdoors can be a blast now and then in the winter, weather has to be just right. And it doesn’t happen often. Temperatures are most times downright bitter. And the wind chill factor is worse, if not dangerous. So we consider other options, and have discussions with the kids about what they’d like to do.

{A} is not a concern. She has is older and has several outlets, being quite involved in multiple activities and services. All of which she is very serious and committed about.

Where organized programs go, we want the kids to be very interested in the activity, if we’re going to pay for it. Wasting money just to keep them busy doesn’t happen with us. They are quite good at keeping busy all their own. They have great imaginations that can keep them going all day. But getting out the energy that stores up in the winter, with limited outdoor time to really run, jump and use some muscle, is very limited.

For the first time, our triplets split up in their choices of activities, which has been one of our solutions to the winter energy that needs to get out. {O} has wanted to try gymnastics for awhile. What’s more, I have been eager to see how she does in that sport as well, because we have always noticed she is unbelievably flexible. {A} tried gymnastics a couple of times when she was little. But she was about as flexible as….say, plywood. {O} is like Gumby. What she needs though is technical training, to put that flexibility to use, and execute the elements properly. At this point, she knows how to do the splits and summer-saults on her own. So I think she’ll be learning quite a bit, if she applies herself. So we’ll see how it goes. She’s really loving it so far. One thing I’m NOT loving; I have to take photos through the glass window! Not sure how long I’ll last before I start getting pushy and trying to get away with what I can.

The cartwheel is going to take some work. ; )

I sign (language) at my kids a lot, when need be. It works for us across a room, or when quiet is necessary, or…when they are on the other side of a window. But I couldn’t think fast enough how to tell her “PLEASE put the tongue away, before you drop to the mat, and bite it off.” Trust me – she’d be at a loss if she couldn’t talk. She is very articulate and expressive. ; )

The boys, on the other hand, are into basketball. And after watching their older sister’s last adrenaline-pumping neck-and-neck game on the big court, they were ready to go play themselves. I’m really impressed with this program. Very organized and progressive, really teaching critical technical skills to playing well, as well as rules, and building their overall knowledge of the game, with no wasting time. (Time is money….and in this case….ours! lol) They’ve been in Hoop-Heaven. It’s obvious they’ve learned a lot watching real games, and playing hoops in their own yard. Someone at this clinic asked me if my boys ever stop smiling. I told them “Certainly not when there’s a basketball in their hands!” I was all over the place with my camera, just taking Mama photos.

Another tongue-shot-but this one more exciting than scary. When I saw {S} do this with his tongue, I knew he probably ‘had it’. My little tongue-trick-talent: I can completely flip my tongue over upside down, and I could see in this shot, that that baby was at least half way there-without even thinking about it. So I called that boy over to me when we got home. I said “Can you do this?” And I showed him my tongue flip. Once he got done laughing, he gave it whirl. And by golly….there it was. An upside down tongue in his mouth. : ) Haven’t found a great purpose for it yet, besides occasional entertainment. But who knows what might come along the road of life.

They even play 1-on-1 already! So cute, at this age. {S}’s challenge is to stop laughing enough to get the job done. I feel really bad that I missed all of the shots of {J}’s 1-on1 play. It’s my husband’s fault really. Before I left, he reminded me (as he often does) “Don’t forget to talk to the other parents.” Sad to say, I need to be reminded to make a conscious social effort sometimes. Especially when I am watching my kids, and/or have a camera in my hand. So……I was talking to another parent (actually talked to a few over the hour), and missed {J}’s 1-on-1. But I’ll get it next time, if their Daddy doesn’t beg to go instead.

A couple of happy dribblin’ shooters, who have a little less energy on this day. Mission accomplished.

As I type, another winter snowfall has begin to gently cover the ground, and it’ll be snowing all night and possibly well into tomorrow. If it doesn’t turn to a wintry mix early in the day. Which could get messy. whether wet or frozen > not great to play in. So we’ll see. I may get out there and take some winter photos, just for fun.

I have a few plans for new posts coming up soon. I have NOT forgotten about revealing our Christmas Craft Gifts. It’s just that we have one more Christmas celebration coming up after all, here at our home, next weekend. (Our Christmas tree is even still up!). So once we get past that, I’ll be posting all about what we really made. I think you’ll love it! If you and your kids are crafty-inclined, you can put them on your idea list for next year to consider. How would that be for being ahead of the game? I’ll also be posting about some of our favorite recipes/snacks. Including photos and recipes/directions, in case you’d like to try them yourselves.

Meanwhile…..thanks for stopping by once again! Hope you’re finding plenty of winter-fun yourselves, if you live in real winter/cold elements, as we do this time of year. If so, feel free to share how you get through the winter, with either indoor or outdoor activities with your own kids. The more ideas, the better, as this can be one-long-winter. We love the storms and snow-fun – but by April, the cold can get a little tiresome. But so far, we’re enjoying the season!

How about you?

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A Horse Education

January 7, 2009 By Laura 4 Comments

After a nice long Christmas break, we’re happily back to our familiar (home) school day routines, with some new experiences for all of the kids getting thrown into the mix. There will be more on the other kids coming up soon, but this happens to be another post about {A}.

{A} has always loved horses, about as much as I did when I was her age. I have always wanted a horse. As a kid, I had horse posters all over my side of the room walls. I can’t remember if that was before or after the Shaun Cassidy posters. (My sister, preferred Parker Stevenson, so I think she didn’t mind the horse posters as much.) Back then, I was getting a great horse magazine subscription called “Horse, of Course”, or something like that. In it, there was a lot of great horse photos, articles, and stories, and a pull out poster in each! So {A} and I definitely share a love for horses. But she has already had the opportunity to be with horses more than I ever did at her age. We have a friend who owns a horse rescue farm, where we go from time to time, and {A} hopes to work there some, as soon as she’s a little older and strong enough.

So for Christmas, on Christmas morning, we gave {A} a gift certificate for horse riding lessons, with an experienced trainer, Pamela Ring, at Dreamer Stables. When {A} opened that envelope and read the certificate she pulled out, she let out a big “WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!“, even startling some in the room, who weren’t paying attention at the moment. She about knocked us over with her hugs, too!

A couple of days ago was her first lesson. The wonderful thing is, she’ll be learning a lot more about horses, than just how to ride them. She’s learning all about them; how to interact with them, how to care for them, and how to dress and undress them, which she’ll be needing to do herself before and after riding riding. She has read so many books on horses, and knows quite about them, and their gear. But nothing beats hands on experience and spending time with these magnificent and beautiful creatures. She was beaming at her first lesson.

Now before moving on here, I just have to say, first…. that these are some of the absolute worst photos I have ever taken. Ugh. But..I was very limited in what I could do to get better shots. Despite how the photos look now, the stable was actually very, very dark, with horrible hanging lighting. I lightened them some, but a little flash would have been ideal in this case, with very little natural light source (and none in the arena.) But, flash is not allowed, as to not possibly startle the horses, or something. So….that’s the end of my excuses about the lousy photos. Here we go…..

{A}, brushing twice, with 2 different brushes.

Using an ice pick tool, to remove ice and any rocks (or what-not ; ) from their shoes.

Learning how to dress the horse properly, layer by layer, for riding.

Getting comfortable riding, and learning all of the commands.

One happy rider.

Unbuckling buckles to remove the horse’s bridle off of his head.

She can’t wait to go back next week. Horses are in her heart, much like chipmunks and training them are, along with good handful of other things that mean a lot to her.

One of the many, many reasons we decided to home school our kids, is to give them an abundance of free time. Time to imagine and create. Time to listen to, and follow their own hearts, and explore what calls them. Time to have lots of experiences out in the real world, hands on, and be educated through them. Time to discover some of their passions, and follow them if they choose to. Time to be with themselves, enough to focus on themselves, be who they are, and develop into all they want to be. Time to hear the whispers of God in their heart. Time is such a gift, for anyone! But more time to just be a child, whose heart and mind may not yet be inundated with wordly stuff, pressures and distractions, is a gift all it’s own. It’s these kinds of experiences out in the world, at a young age, that will certainly be remembered, and influence the rest of their lives.

Speaking of time, it’s time for my nightly routine before bedtime. Thanks for dropping by once again. We hope you all find that 2009 is going pretty well for you so far!

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