Turning 7

This past weekend we had a birthday party for my now 7 year old. He is really into animals, especially sea animals. Since I love planning a party, this was the perfect opportunity to do some fun activities and an an excuse to be creative.

The kids had five activity stations including a water table blind animal search, a shark bookmark craft, a sandbox fossil hunt, music and a game of sharks & minnows. We all had so much fun! I am posting a couple of pics for you to check out; plus an outline of the party plans, in case you know someone wanting to have an Ocean Extravaganza!

Ocean Jello Cups- Blue jello, gummy sharks, and top it with a bit of whipped cream after it sets, so it will look like the sea foam!

Shark Bookmark Craft- Cut out sharks out of blue poster board, punch a hole at the tail for beading, a white crayon to draw on and add some googly eyes! So easy!!

Fossils for the sandbox search- These were a bit more time consuming. I used polymer clay balls and stamped small jewelry charms that I found at the bead shop in town;

Knead the clay so that it is workable; make quarter size balls and press with your thumb. Then press the charms on, bake at 275 degrees for 15 min. Pull them out, let it cool and brush lightly with black acrylic paint. I put these in the sand box mixed with shells. They got to take them home to use as pendants. Fun!

Quick Overview of the plans:

FOOD

goldfish crackers

blue punch

ocean jello cups

some fruit and cheese for healthy options

cake (we ordered ours from a local grocery store)

ACTIVITIES

shark bookmark

fossil hunt

sea animal search (used my son's sea animal toys)

sharks & minnows game (kind'a like tag)

acting out the "baby shark" song

Plus some fun decor, prizes and enthusiasm, it was a day to remember!

And don't forget to add a good play list- our music was all ocean related.

thanks for reading!

beijos

allypye

Balancing Life with Kids - PART 1

Cone Flower- photographed by me this weekend

It all began with a routine trip to the library. Eager to leave the house, we jumped in the mini van and headed downtown for a relaxing couple of hours of reading and learning

...Or so I thought...

The kids were cranky; the 12 year old vanished in the teen room the second we arrived, while the 6 year old pouted about wanting to go in the teen area, and the 3 year old decided it was a good idea to sneak up two flights of stairs for a game of hide and seek.
Soon after, they were all accounted for and taken to the appropriate location in the library (that being the children's room, what a concept!!) There's crying, pouting and eye rolling (may I add that at this point everyone in the library is engaging in the rolling of the eyes, as they watch the spectacle!!), not to mention us walking out with at least 20 items (I forgot the canvas bag at home) and setting off the security system!!! Back in we go, with the crying, pouting, rolling of the eyes reaching record levels... I just wanted to sit right there and cry.

How do other mothers do this?

That was all I could think about that day. I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, defeated and inadequate. And this was not the first time!
In my mind, I am adding to this catastrophe of a trip the following: 6 loads of laundry in the basement, bills to pay, movies to return, groceries to buy, dinner to make, art projects to plan, and much, much more!
The truth is that balancing life with kids is something that everyone struggles with, and I found that perhaps sharing valuable tips with others isn't such a bad idea. I asked a couple of moms (these are moms you look at and go, "wow, she really knows what she is doing") to share their wealth of knowledge in making life work.
It was important for me to gather info that could be modified to different family set-ups and lifestyles: husband or no husband, full time stay-at-home or full time job. It is my hope that whoever reads this will be able to gain something or add something to the conversation.
Throughout this week we will discuss Meal Planning and Shopping, Housework and Organizing, and Time to be YOU. Though it may sound meaningless and too "domestic" of a talk for some, life's chores and obligations are said to be the cause of most couple's sense of unhappiness and overall sense of burden in Americans. So why not share ideas?

Thanks to Beth and Lisa, who will be featured in this series for the next three days. Your help is appreciated and the love you share with your family through your dedication is inspiring!

Thanks for reading, hope to have you stop by again tomorrow:)


beijos


allypye

Searching for less and finding its enough...

Coming back from our camping trip yesterday, I thought about our family and how the six of us (myself, the hubby, our three children and the dog) are growing together stronger, happier and simpler.

When I think of Gandhi's "live simply so that others may simply live" quote, not only do I think about simplicity as benefiting the world globally and locally, but also about its influence in my own life, within my family.

I find myself approaching everything that way now, asking the same questions "what will make this easier, what will have the least impact, what will be more enriching?

We committed to bringing only the tent, two sets of clothing per person, a few beach toys plus some basic necessities (hygiene, blankets, firewood, flashlights) to the campsite- no hand-held games, cell phones or i-pods. (sounds easy? Try talking a pre-teen into it!!)

It was a great time! I learned things about every single one of my kids, about my husband, about my dog, and about myself that I would have never discovered had we not kept things to a minimum, having mostly only one another to rely on for food, shelter, and fun!Sure, simplicity takes planning and organization, otherwise you may find yourself forgetting to bring essentials and having to go buy supplies; But it is so worth it!

We managed to keep optimistic and relaxed even with the constant ingress of huge SUVs pulling even bigger RVs, equipped with tvs, stereos, cooking ware (we are talking smokers, fryers, portable microwaves, FIREWORKS, and much, much more)- No, camping DOES NOT mean the same thing to all humans!

I hope that more people are now seeking to have moments of true, undivided attention, interacting with their loved ones in nature and fostering appreciation for one another and for the beauty of our world.

As for us, we swam, we sang, rode bikes, built a fire and finally slept to the sound of rain drops "plop" and "plop" on the roof of our tent! Unplugged, Unwound, together.

Beijos to all!

Summer thoughts...

While hearing so many people complain of the "scalding" weather here in KZOO I am happy as a bee as the sun kisses my skin! I love summer! As I write this, my 12 year old is away at camp, my six year old is at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for their weeklong camp; and my Bella Boo (the three year old) is napping this lazy afternoon away...I am sitting here listening to a wonderful book: "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros;

My husband and I just celebrated yet another anniversary, and over dinner, we talked about summer plans and reminisced on times when things seemed to be simpler. We both agree on the same period - 2002/2003 - as the most peaceful, content and blissful time of our married lives. So we talked about those years, and examined our state of mind, financial situation, children, family and friends, and figured that the just of it was really about living in the now, doing it simply and being gentle to ourselves;

By living in the now we allowed ourselves the opportunity to be spontaneous, carefree, and centered; spending our present planning an uncertain future just seemed strange...

By doing it simply we had no idea who the Joneses were, and if we did, we had no interest in hanging out with them; we didn't have much, we didn't want much, and didn't measure ourselves up to anything or anyone.

By being gentle to ourselves took care of us first- me by doing art and being gentle to my body as I carried my little Lucas in my belly and enjoyed watching my little kindergartner discover new horizons; Erik meditated, played his guitar and we both dedicated some of our time as volunteer tutors to our son's classmates.

We took the time to just be. No unnecessary obligations, commitments, or relationships; We had the guts to only do what made us happy.


Looking at now, I feel as though we have the maturity to do even better than 2002. But why aren't we there? Sure, the kids are older now, there are 3 of them instead of 2, and making decisions for ourselves and our little ones overshadows the spontaneity and the stillness we so long for.


The practice of gentleness to oneself, simplicity and joy is very intentional, and the results can be freeing; I am confident that my family can get back to that point (we are pretty darn close already, I think) if we begin to live our lives by practicing to love ourselves and find beauty and fulfillment on the simple things.


As the clothes gently sway on the clothesline in our backyard, I think of my grandmother, skirt swaying as if to keep up with the linen sheets she hung above her head. Possessions were not in her mind, but the breeze and the sun...


Thank you for reading!

Beijos a todos

allypye