Starry Sky Ranch was blessed with the birth of Abigeál Rose this morning at 9:18. She weighs 8 lbs 3 oz, is beautiful, and healthy. 
The kids all are all buzzing and Mom did absolutely wonderfully. And well, little miss Abbie is already living up to her name – "Father's joy!"
You get what you inspect…
Melanie had written for some ideas to get littles off to a good start being tidy and responsible for their materials. I will start by saying this is an ongoing effort at our home as anyone who has visited can attest. Further, if I back off of my diligence IN THE LEAST, we are easily sent back to square one. So please don't look at the pictures of the little ones working nicely and assume they just 'do' this of their own volition each and every time. This is really a situation where you must control the environment.
My best advice is very NOT Montessori. We are in homes, not schools, and have to be realistic about our level of control. We are not directresses who can set up a lab environment and devote our days to nothing but monitoring said environment. And really, do we want to be that? Likely not. Real life is far richer. It does require some adjusting of ideology however so you don't come to despise the method for the trouble it is causing you.
In a classroom all materials would be displayed in open shelving for the children to choose from freely. The problem you run into at home is that many homes have far greater age ranges doing the choosing than would happen in a classroom. That means the likelihood of children choosing materials they cannot manage well on their own. It also means that they may access the materials when you are not available to supervise sufficiently, thus developing bad habits.
To prevent this I would opt for lockable cabinets or a lock on the schoolroom/activity storage area. Do not let them at the materials unattended. You will spend far too much time reteaching and restocking. In smaller homes we have used lockable garage cabinets. We have even kept these outside or in the garage when necessary. One thing in, one thing out was the policy. It worked well. We have a lock on the school/craft room door in this house. I can tell you honestly if it isn't locked or if a babysitter gets lax and lets them in there we DO have a mess. We have had messes of monumental proportions in fact. So it's important not to let that happen.
If they only have the opportunity to do the right thing, then the right thing is what is reenforced.
This applies to meal times (ie don't let them access food unless you are prepared to follow through with proper cleanup routines) and bedrooms (do they have a system for easy clothing storage which you monitor?) and so on. If not, think hard about culling to the pt where you can be on top of those routines happening reliably. Slowly, and only if you really think it will improve life in some way, add back more items.
Less is more.
So once you have pared down and gotten a handle on the stuff make a few trays or bags of activities. Take out a mat or rug and tell the child you have a game to show him/her. They may grab at it but ask them to watch and wait a moment while you demonstrate unrolling the rug, laying out the materials, and using them. Then replace them all in the proper spots. Ask them to tell you where the materials go. Walk them through the process. Then let them at it. When they lose interest gently guide them through the motions of putting things back. They may balk at first. Remain cheerful but insist they go back. Remember that the process is really more important than the activity itself as far as instilling good habits go. It doesn't take long for the habit to be set. It doesn't take long for it to be undone either so don't gather more supplies than you can easily be responsible for.
You get what you inspect.
Some of the latest pics of little people projects here. Very blurry – they were in constant motion : )
Blog love meme
Liz tagged me with this meme/award. Thank you! Here is my entry:
1. Where is your cell phone? Charging in the kitchen 2. Where is dh? At work on base 3. What is your hair color? Dark brown with the occasional gray threads peeking through (hmmm, what to do, what to do…) 4. Your mother? In WI 5. Your father? deceased 6. Your favorite thing? Spending time with the kids and dh. 7. Your dream last night? Did I sleep in long enough stretches to dream? I don't think so. 8. Your dream/goal? I am living it. 9. The room you are in? Family room 10. Your hobby? Stitching is all consuming at the moment. Otherwise reading and scrapbooking.
11. Your fear? Too many niggling fears to admit. Shame on me. 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Someplace a lot like this, as long as we are all together. 13. Where were you last night? Timing contractions, watching snow fall outside the bedroom window
14. What you're not? Tall 15. One of your wish list items? new camera 16. Where you grew up? WI
17. The last thing you did? Made a triple batch of bread and soup for lunches while listening to a six year old read 18. What are you wearing? Black maternity top, tan matte jersey skirt, fuzzy slippers 19. Your TV? Brings me the Duggar's on Monday nights and PBS Kids when I can't stay awake : ) 20. Your pet? The girls out by the barn – delightful dairy goats
21. Your computer? Mac Although I have to give a grateful nod to the laptop dh just set up next to my bed so I can listen to soothing music upstairs and read my mail post partum. Thank you! 22. Your mood? Hopeful 23. Missing someone? My big boys
24. Your car? Ginormous van 25. Something you're not wearing? Hose. Swore them off til the baby comes! 26. Favorite store? Goodwill – hands down! Followed by Joann's. Followed by Hobby Lobby. 27. Your summer? Went by very fast indeed 28. Love someone? Lots of someone's – big and little, near and far. 29. Your favorite color? Yes. Wait, I am supposed to pick ONE? Red, yellow, blue, brown. Have I mentioned I don't follow rules well? 30. When is the last time you laughed? Listening to little people makes me laugh through my days
31. Last time you cried? this week, admitting my birthing fears to dh. I still think the stork is a way under-explored option……
Be Still My Heart!
I saw a review of the Vintage Moth site today and about fell off my chair. Wow! It is chock full of vintage clip art and ephemera for crafting (think: cards, wall art, baby gifts, bags, scrapbooks, journals…) Gorgeous images for whatever creative juices pulse through your being.
Go! Now! Get yourself some blank cds and SAVE THEM. : )
Midwest Modern Christmas
I browsed the Home Companion magazine on the rack this month and saw this article about Amy Butler's home. If you are intrigued by retro anythings you likely know Amy's fabric line and books, particularly Midwest Modern She and her husband have transformed their 1969 home for the holidays. It is definitely cheerful and bright. : )
early November notebook pages
Thought we would share a few school projects from this month. (the scanner is merciless and shows every minute smudge etc so bear with us. They look nicer in person)
We have continued our gov't. study. These pages cover the roles of the president. Moira made separate pages for each of the president's jobs (Chief Executive, Legislative Leader, Commander in Chief etc) while Aidan made two pages with a star shape for each role. 
Next came the president's cabinet. They studied the different folks who advise the president and made charts like these:
For copywork we have used the Presidential Oath and some bible verses about praying for our leaders.
We have also REALLY enjoyed the Art Projects for Kids blog/site. The kids have followed some drawing lessons there that are set up similarly to the Draw Write Now program. In Montessori style, they take the student step by step to recreate the illustration. It has been a big hit here.
Vintage Baby
I can't get enough of baby anything right now. Visions of vintage baby goods are dancing through my head. It started with Flea Market Baby.Actually it didn't. It likely started waaaay back when I couldn't resist pieces like this:
There is just something so wonderful about old baby things. So when I happened across The Baby Gardner I was drooling unapologetically. The blog is even more delightful complete with vintage patterns and more.
My Retro Baby is a must see too. The room decor in particular.
Lots of inspiration at Baby Goes Vintage. These are new items but they are great for ideas for showcasing flea market finds.
Dolly Dilettante is a delightful vintage style baby blog, as is Ophelia Payne.
We have a small collection of vintage baby items. Some are my own vintage lol. My aunt made these hip dresses in the 60's for your's truly.
A strong streak of sentiment prompted me to scour the net for vintage embroidery patterns which have kept my hands occupied as we wait, and breathe, and contract, and wonder which of these times is going to be the real deal. Heaven only knows and guessing makes a person jumpy so I just keep stitching! Here is a bib made for a baby shower I missed last week. I love vintage scotties patterns. Real live ones – not so much. ; ) I finished a little lamb but need to give it a backing yet. There is another scotty in the works for our baby. Will post as we go.
The gift of illness
Jewel is sick too. In her inimitable way she has identified some true blessings that flow from these trials:
"One of the priceless things that God has lovingly sought to teach me throughout the multi-faceted, ever-changing seasons of motherhood, is to quietly let go and flow with the inevitable upsets that occur in life. Things we don't and can't plan for, that of their nature replace other things that might be more pleasant and desirable and what we would have chosen if we had a choice."
Of course we don't have a choice as to whether or not we will weather these storms, only how we choose to respond to them. We choose to find a blessing or a curse. She challenges us to discern:
"if my desire is to make it through these times of sickness or sorrow or change, in the soft, gentle way of His grace. The way that nurtures and gives life, peace and rest, rather than the stress, anxiety, and unrest for everyone, that results if we pull and strive against what is, as though it isn't, wishing it were otherwise.
How very much there is for us to learn, and for each one that we love and care for to learn, in each and every situation that God lovingly allows. How very much can be done even when we're tired and weak, simply by way of loving words and tender affection."
Remember:
"We won't regret it when we move all around to create the time and space for allowance of whatever we find ourselves in the midst of. We can't do everything all the time. No particular situation lasts forever." Do go read the rest!
Our favorite remedies:
Netti Pot. I know. Don't tell me. It's gross. The very thought is appalling. Just saying, it's natural, it's cheap, it's non-toxic, it works. And fantastically well at that. It is also a blessing for those who suffer from allergies.
Zicam. Really does help if you get it at the very first sign. Not foolproof but we have had several 'almost' colds prior to this that were headed off successfully. The little bitties won't/don't use it though so if they get sick and cough on us there is no guarantee.
Grapefruit seed extract. LOVE this stuff. LOVE it. Kills just about any bad thing it seems. Tablets or capsules go down better than the drops which are astoundingly bitter.
Garlic. Raw is best. Don't plan to socialize while using this treatment. Upside? No vampire trouble.
Hydrogen Peroxide. A drop in each ear. I can't say why this works. Just does. And yes, some sites will warn you against it. We aren't deaf yet, if that helps, and no one here who is willing to do it has had an ear infection since. Still, I am not a doctor. I am not giving medical advice. Just sharing.
Piggy… Market
That's all we hear from Tess lately. She loves nursery rhymes and songs and apparently has no sensory issues with feet. Whenever there is a lull in the action around here she will announce to whomever is nearest, "Piggy! Market!" With foot in air she expects someone to come through for her. If you pause in between verses she will nod in agreement, "Yeah, rose beef. Yeah, none…"
It is almost funnier when she snags a little boy. They have come up with some innovative verses to replace those they forget. "This little piggy went to Walmart……. this little piggy ate some stuff….." Gotta love 'em.
This is about all I can wrap my stuffy head around this week. A cold is moving through the house and I am waging war as valiantly as I can. Mostly winning but feeling much like a truck hit me. I apologize for not answering mail in a timely fashion.
Saving time and money – in the kitchen
We have been putting our heads together in recent weeks about how to tweak our thriftiness even further. Part of the motivation is Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. As in, we are trying to have one. Food is a major expense here and it is always worth revisiting to see where we might have leaks in the budget.
I have done once a month cooking in the past but ran into some walls with my method as our family size increased. We can no longer easily triple a recipe since we are already doubling – at least – for each meal. The size of the pots etc needed aren't practical and it wasn't happening as often. At the thrift shop however I turned up a copy of the original Once a Month Cookbook and I think this will do the trick. Its many separate meals but the beauty of it is the shopping list because our new project is…..
Once a month SHOPPING. It seems that grocers count on some 6 of 10 items in the average cart being impulse buys. That's a ton of stuff. Even if we were accumulating half of that it still amounts to budget leaks. What we have been reading over and over is that the single most effective way to avoid those leaks is to enter stores less frequently. Fewer trips, fewer opportunities for impulse buying. It also just makes sense for busy moms of many who have plenty to do without more errands. Who couldn't use the extra hours each month?
The once a month cooking lists make it possible to know exactly how many cans of mushrooms and stalks of celery are needed to make ALL the dinners that month. The system won't work if you don't get what you need that first trip. A detailed list means no guessing at how much to buy. We can then add our own simple options for breakfast. Lunch is usually leftovers and/or soup made from same.
America's Cheapest Family swears by the system as do the famous Duggar's. You can read more here and here. Cook of the Month and other programs will also assemble a list for you based on the recipes you choose. Most people wonder about produce. We stocked up on frozen fruit and veggies. My guess is we will need a midmonth trip to restock salad greens and such. Since I have older kids I plan to send them for that one.
If you decide to experiment along with us please let me know how it goes!
Starry Sky Journal 