Harriet’s First Day of School – 4s Preschool

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This was the last first day of preschool for our family.  What a sweet time this has been.  We loved the school Alma attended for three years, and where Harriet has been the last two years.  Unfortunately, things changed and we felt the need to move Harriet to a new school for her last year.

Luckily we found a really sweet place just down the road from both our house and Alma’s elementary school.  While it makes me really sad that they won’t be in the same place, it’s comforting to me that they’re just a block or two apart.  Also, Alma didn’t have school today (they broke the kindergarten classes into two groups for the firsts and Alma only had to go yesterday), so it was extra special that she got to come to drop-off with us.

Alma has been talking all morning about how she misses Harriet.  She even suggested that we just go pick her up two hours early.  It makes me so excited for next year when they’ll have lunch and recess together at the elementary school.

Harriet was so excited to be at her new school.  She got right to work tracing her name (that’s how they check in in the morning.  I love that idea!), then exploring all the things she could play with.

I’m so proud of how flexible she is these days.  I could have expected her to have a problem with the new school, new teachers, new friends, but she just rolled with it like the strong, brave girl she is.  I’m so excited to see what this year of school will bring to our lovely little Harriet.

Alma’s First Day – Kindergarten

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Remember when Alma was born?   Or her first day of preschool?  Yesterday, right?  Well, here’s our little baby all ready for kindergarten.

How did this happen?  I mean, I totally get it.  She’s 5 1/2.  She’s becoming such a big kid.  She is generous and kind.  She’s excited to learn how to read and how to do math.  She loves making new friends more than anything.  She’s totally ready for kindergarten.

Harriet, on the other hand, isn’t quite ready for Alma to be in kindergarten.  She’s already asked when Alma’s coming home – twenty times or so.  They have a special bond, for sure.  I’m so excited for next year, when Harriet is in elementary school with Alma.

This morning we all walked Alma down to her bus stop.  We had to wait for a while, but Alma never seemed nervous or worried.  She did complain about her backpack being uncomfortable.  Guess we should break it in a little bit.

Alma hopped right on the bus without a look back (until her bus driver told her to turn around for a photo).  She is such a courageous, smart, friendly, and fun girl.

Harriet and I ended up driving to the school to meet her.  I wanted to make sure it all made sense to her, and she asked if we could meet her there.  Boy am I glad we did.  We went to the cafeteria to get breakfast, and it was a madhouse.  We ran into our friend, Kenton, who’s a 1st grader, but new to the school, and who looked a bit lost.  We all headed to the (long) breakfast line and got some food.  The cafeteria was loud and crowded, but some of Alma’s fun 5th grade friends came to make sure she was doing okay.

I got Alma connected with her teacher, and on her way to music class, then we headed out.

Now I’m just counting the hours and minutes until her bus drops her off.  I’m just glad it’s an early release day so she’ll be home an hour earlier.  I can’t wait to hear all about her day and who she played with and if they had outdoor recess and if she liked the lunch I packed her and and and everything everything everything!

Totality.

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Today was my first time being in the moon’s shadow.  I say that because I’m now sure that it won’t be my last time.

I don’t know where to start this post.  I could start by talking about the young adult novel I read years ago, where three kids witness a full solar eclipse – and how reading that book convinced me that I need to be in the path someday.  Or I could start by talking about Harriet’s connection with the moon – and how realizing that this would be her birthday convinced me that we all needed to witness it.  Or I could talk about how our house was in 99.6% totality and how I knew – I just knew that wouldn’t be enough.  I could start with all the hype around how Oregon was going to be a madhouse and the traffic would make getting to totality impossible.  I don’t know.  I guess I’ll just tell the story of how we we ended up in the shadow of the moon for over a minute and a half.

A couple days before the eclipse, I mapped out how many different ways we could get from our home in Eugene, to totality in Corvallis.  I figured it would be the best bet since there were so many roads in and out of Corvallis, and having gone to college there, we knew lots of the back roads that we could take.  First contact was to start at 9:05am, and we left Eugene around 8.  We figured we’d get as far north as we could, and just pull off into some farmer’s field if needed.  I pictured traffic backing up through the small towns, and as we approached Corvallis.  No such luck.  We hit absolutely no traffic the whole way up.  None.

As we drove up the highway, and entered the zone of totality, a great weight lifted.  I was there.  I knew I was in the path.  The further north we drove, the better it would be, but if we stopped where we were, we’d at least get a few seconds of shadow.  But further north we went.  We saw people sitting along side country roads with telescopes set up, waiting.  The more people we saw, the more the anticipation grew.

We parked by the football stadium, and walked to a field next to the dorm where we met.  The moment we set out our blanket, a cheer broke out.  First contact.  We put on our glasses, and sure enough, a little bite had been taken out of the sun.  Harriet was enthralled.  She sat silently gazing.  She would have watched the whole eclipse if we had let her, but I wanted her to rest her eyes.  Even with the glasses on, I knew it was important to give our eyes a rest.

For the next hour or so, we checked the sun, chatted with other viewers, looked through pin-hole viewers, noticed that Jesse’s hat was a very effective pin-hole viewer, sending hundreds of little eclipsed suns all over his arms and face.

At 9:45 it got cold.  The Californian next to me commented how how the cool breeze felt good.  It took me a moment to realize it was more than just the breeze.  The air had shifted.  The light had shifted.  It looked like twilight, but different.  The shadows were crisper.  The light was silver instead of gold.  Our shadows were short instead of long.  It was very strange and very awesome.  The earth was changing and we could all sense it.

At 10:11, we all put our glasses on and I told the girls that we should just keep watching until totality.  Cheers were going up all around as the sliver of the moon got smaller and smaller.  The energy of the crowd made me so happy that we were experiencing it with hundreds of other people.  It was a human experience and we all witnessed the world change for a moment, together.

The sun got smaller and smaller then it was gone.  I heard Jesse say, “Look at it!  Look at it!” and I took my glasses off.  I can’t describe what I saw.  What I saw was magic and huge and small and unreal and more perfect and real than anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life.  I wanted to laugh, scream, cry, dance, and never stop seeing it.  I wanted to see it everyday for the rest of my life.  I wanted to burn the image into my mind and never forget it.  I tore my eyes from the glowing moon to look around at the earth.  It was dark and strange.  I laughed out loud at the fact that it was as dark as night.  Streetlights flicked on.  Venus shone down at us.  Everything glowed with a silver sheen.

It was the longest, and the shortest, minute and forty seconds of my life. I looked back to the moon, and saw that it was brightening.  As I put my glasses back on, I saw a flash of the diamond ring effect.  The crescent of the sun grew bigger and bigger.

Just after totality. Already getting brighter out, but still with the silvery light.

As we packed up our things and left the field, I knew I was surrounded by hundreds of people who were changed, like I was.  Harriet asked if we could do it again tomorrow.  If only, my little luna girl, if only.  I know that it was worth the risk of traffic.  It was worth so much more than that.  I know now that I would brave hours of travel and traffic to be in the moon’s shadow again  After we ate lunch, I put my glasses back on and saw a sun that was back to normal.  I knew that the moon was out there, somewhere, invisible to my eyes, but I knew it was there.  That moon, that powerful, graceful moon, when I see it again in our sky it will never look the same.  It will be the normal shape, normal size, it will wax and wane like it has forever, but to me, it will be forever changed.

Dear Harriet, Age Four

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Dear Harriet,

I love this blurry photo of us for a few reasons.  First, I’m in it with you and I think it’s important that I get in the shot too, sometimes.  Second, just look at your sweet smile.  We were camping here, and girl, do you love camping.  You love exploring and running and playing and sleeping and swimming and building and s’mores.

This past year has been a doozy.  You definitely followed the trend of three-year-olds being difficult and stubborn.  You showed your opinion quite clearly, to say the least.  You only wanted me to help you and cuddle you and read to you and carry you – dad just wouldn’t do.  You wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t exactly what you wanted.  You wanted what you wanted and you wanted it when you wanted it.  And it was hard.  Three was hard.

Luckily, the last couple months of three, things started to change.  You started to ask for daddy before me.  You became more flexible and less frustrating.  Thank you so much for that.  Really, Harriet, thank you for that.

Right now you are so much fun.  You are funny and creative.  You fiercely love the people in your life.  You have strong connections with people and are incredibly loyal.  You have changed from being stubborn to being strong (it’s an important difference to note).  I love to hear your opinions and your ideas.  You are so brave and are always willing to try new things, usually with a bit of gentle encouragement.  Last year you were scared to get your face wet, this year you’re swimming without your floaties and going down the big slide at the pool.  Last year you wouldn’t try your balance bike, this year you’re almost ready for pedals.

Four years ago, you were born on a Blue Moon.  Today, we will witness a full solar eclipse.   The planets have aligned.  I’ve always loved the moon, and since you were born four years ago, I’ve loved it even more with the connection between your birth and the moon.  Today we will stand in the moon’s shadow.  I think there is something to this, my girl.  You are my little moon girl and you were born to do great, big things.

Next year we will be getting ready for kindergarten.  But for today, and for this year, I want you to stay my little child, my baby.  No need to rush things, my Hattie Girl.  No need to stop sleeping in my arms.  No need to stop asking for my help.  Ne need to run too far or climb too high.

You are my girl and I love you to the moon and back a million times.

All my love,
Mommy

AUGUST 2017: CURRENTLY

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reading Wonder by Raquel J. Palacio.

listening to lots of different things.

eating away from home too much.

planning a night out.

thinking there might be karaoke and dancing.

getting caught up on Blaugust Vlaugust August.

trying to motivate myself to sew.

watching the girls pretend that it’s snowing.

cleaning the house.

feeling discouraged that it instantly gets messy again.

wanting to just give up.

sweating.

wishing for rain.

choking in all the smoke from the fires.

wanting to see the eclipse.

worrying that it won’t work out.

weighing all the different ways we could get to the path of totality.

hoping our world leaders keep their shit together and don’t blow us all up.

An Oily Day in the Life

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I use my oils daily, for sure.  Some days more than others, some days less.  Here’s what I did yesterday (meant to post this yesterday…. oops).

8:30 – I took a shower and washed my hair with my homemade shampoo.  I just do an equal mix of coconut milk, castille soap, a splash of jojoba oil.  Every time I wash my hair, I just put a drop or two of essential oils in a little bowl with a small amount of my shampoo.  Today I used a drop of Rosemary and a drop of Lavender.  They are both really good supports for the scalp and hair and I often use them.  Sometimes I choose oils that will support my mood, rather than my scalp.  Sometimes I choose ones that just smell good.  I also use the shampoo as my body wash.

8:45 – My after-shower routine is pretty set.  I always put diluted Thieves on my feet for immune support.  Then I put a drop of Frankincense on the roof of my mouth to feel grounded and support basically all of my body’s systems (more about Frank here).  Then I put on my face lotion with a drop of something added – usually Patchouli or more Frankincense.  I also put some Progessence Plus Serum on my neck or forearms for amazing hormonal support.

9:30 – I started diffusing 3 drops of Grapefruit with 5 drops of Idaho Blue Spruce.  Such a good combo.  Megan got me into citrus/tree blends because they’re awesome.

11:00 – I added a drop of Lime Vitality (FDA approved for ingesting) to my water as I was making lunch for the girls.

11:30 – I used my roller bottle of Stress Away diluted with sweet almond oil.

1:45 – I switched it up in my diffuser and went with Christmas Spirit because it’s too hot and I’m ready for cozy smells and chilly air.

4:45 – Alma needed a little emotional support, so she put her Gentle Baby roller bottle on her belly.

8:35 – After a fun, sugary birthday party for Kylie, the girls totally needed help getting settled down for sleep, so I put some Palo Santo in their diffuser.

9:30 – I threw some Lavender in my diffuser, read for a bit and fell right asleep.

I use a lot of other Young Living products during the day (deodorant, laundry soap, cleaner, etc) but I only wrote down the actual oils I used.  How do you use your oils?  I’d love to get some more worked into my routine and am always looking for ideas!

Homemade Playdough with Real Mom Vlogs

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So, I’ve never made playdough before.  I’m basically a stay at home mom of two girls who love any sort of sensory play more than anything else.  How can I not have made playdough?  Well, I haven’t, okay?  UNTIL TODAY!  Megan and I had plans to do a different crafty project with the kids, but it didn’t work out.  Luckily, Megan had everything on hand to make playdough, so we did.

Here’s a recipe I found a few places online.  One thing I love about this one is that it doesn’t need to cook or use hot water, so the kids can actually help mix it all up.  Also, like I said, Megan had all these things in her kitchen already.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup cold water – bonus if you use hose water like we did
  • 1 Tbs oil (we used fractionated coconut oil)
  • A few drops of essential oils (we used Peace and Calming, and Peace and Calming II)

Directions are pretty easy.

Mix flour and salt.

Add water and oil.

Knead well.  Add more flour or water if needed.

Mix and knead until it comes together and is smooth, like playdough.

Add some Essential Oils.  We picked Peace and Calming II for half the batch, hoping it would turn everything orange, and Peace and Calming, hoping it would turn bluish/green.

As you can see, the colors in the oils didn’t really color the playdough, but the smell certainly came through!  These two three-year-olds played nicely with this playdough for close to an hour.

I think I’ll do this again.  It was easy, quick, and the kids really had fun playing with it.

Megan will post a vlog posted a vlog of the kids playing with the playdough if you want to see more about this whole thing!  Here’s a behind-the-scenes photo of Megan making the vlog.

 

Mom Monday

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Megan has a thing on her vlog that she calls Mom Monday.  Usually it’s with her sister, Hannah, and they talk about motherhood and other random stuff and they do a challenge, but today it was with me!  So…. if you want to watch me be super weird and awkward, watch away!

Let me clarify something here.  My least favorite time of day is the evening, and that just happens to be when Jesse’s home.  In fact, I hate it even more that the worst time of day  is the main time that Jesse gets to spend with the kids.  It bums me out that he misses their sweet mornings and silly afternoons.  At least there are weekends!

Also, Megan just posted her pregnancy and birth story for her newly turned one-year-old, so you should go watch those other videos if you’re into that sort of thing.  I can’t read or hear a birth story without crying (and I’m not a crier).  Good stuff on her channel.

A Day in the Life – August 2, 2017

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6:38 – I want to remember this filtered morning light.  The girls wake us up everyday and we haven’t used alarm clocks in a couple years.  It doesn’t feel like it in the moment, but it really is much better to wake up to them coming into the room, than it is to be awoken by annoying beeps.

6:52 – I want to remember this summer of canning.  I’ve canned some things before, but this summer I’ve really found my stride.  I’ve realized that I can do a small batch in a couple hours and that’s much more pleasant than the all day canning marathons I’ve done in the past.  I’ve also realized that I’m sure we’ll enjoy eating the things I’ve canned all year long – like this blueberry jam that makes yogurt taste like pie.

6:58 – I want to remember how Harriet always wakes up and says “I’m ungry!”  And we need to get her breakfast and milk as quickly as possible.  She loves her milk so much.

8:57 – I want to remember how outgoing and friendly and caring the girls are these days.  They are both very smitten with the Sunday school director at our church.  They are always happy to sit with her, help her out, or just walk around and chat with her.

9:22 – I want to remember how, after I dropped the girls off at camp, I can do whatever I feel is most important.  On Monday, that was definitely time alone at a coffee shop.  On Tuesday, it was definitely time with friends at a coffee shop.  Today it was at home cleaning up, listening to music and crossing things off lists.  Like these three load of laundry that needed to be done.

9:37 – I want to remember how nice everything looks when it’s all clean and tidy (mostly, at least).  I also want to remember how it’s actually quite easy to tidy up and it’s always worth it.  Also, that’s it’s so much easier to tidy up when the kids are at camp.

9:50 – I want to remember how good it feels to be moving my body and focusing my mind.

10:59 – I want to remember the many ways to keep in touch with people.  Right now, my favorite way is an app called Marco Polo that is basically video texting.  It’s the main way Megan and I communicate, especially about Blaugust Vlaugust Bvlaugust August.  I also want to remember how funny Megan is and how much I love her vlogs and how glad and excited I am to be doing this fun project with her (her channel is here, her Day In the Life here, her video of her singing “Manhattan” which is still my go-to for when I’m writing on the blog is here).

11:36 – I want to remember how I always try to get myself in some of these Day in the Life photos, even if that means I’m doing a self timer shot of me switching the laundry over…

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11:53 – … or a photo of my reflection in the door on my way to pick up the girls.

11:58 – I want to remember how much I love Vacation Bible Camp at our church.  It is such a sweet group of kids, and such a lovely experience for my girls.  All the staff members and volunteers do such a wonderful job making it a fun week for the kids.

12:35 – I want to remember these hot days at the pool with my dad and Deena.  Today we even got lunch in the deal!  Harriet perked right up when she got her strawberry milkshake, don’t worry.

1:40 – I want to remember how much this girl loves the water.  She’s gotten so good at swimming, and even spent today learning how to dive.  She loves it as much as I do.  Harriet is also a little water bug and is getting really good, too.  She loves floating around with her face in the water, checking things out.  She still wears her floaty, but I don’t think she’ll need it that much longer.

2:51 – I want to remember how my dad will spend so much time playing with the girls.  He’s the kind of Papa who isn’t content to just sit around and watch his grandchildren.  He’s right there with them, being goofy, teaching them how to dive, playing games (you can see them over my shoulder).

5:10 – I want to remember this amazing trick for cutting onions.  Open a bottle of Thieves next to the cutting board, and there are no more tears.  I have no idea how this works, but it does.

6:32 – I want to remember the long days and long shadows of summertime.

6:34 – I want to remember how, after watching an episode of The Great British Bake Off with Alma, we decided we should probably go get VooDoo after dinner.  Alma go the M&M one.  Harriet got the pink one with marshmallows on it.  I got a lemon filled one.  Jesse just ate the leftovers.

7:03 – I want to remember our bedtime stories, all piled into our big bed.  We take turns reading, and Alma is always by the reader, while Harriet is always by the cudd

ler.  Then we take the girls to their room, give them hugs and kisses, turn on their diffuser,  and say goodnight.

8:04 – I want to remember that when it’s 105 degrees outside, it’s better to watch shows in bed, rather than in our hot sunroom.  Tonight it was John Oliver.  After the show, I finished my book and fell asleep.  The end.

My Favorite Essential Oil – Frankincense

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How do you choose a favorite out of all the favorites? I mean, there are the oils that help elevate my mood, the oils that I turn to for support throughout the month, the oils that support my skin, my hair, my family.  But there’s one oil that can do pretty much all those things, so I’d say it’s my favorite and it’s Frankincense.

I love how scents can totally take you back to a memory.  When I first smelled Frankincense, it instantly reminded me of growing up at my church and smelling the incense on the Sundays when they would use the thurible (I just learned that this is the word for the incense burner that’s swung around on the chain) during the processional.

It also reminded me of all the old churches and cathedrals in Europe, where the centuries of burned incense have built up on the walls and pews and floors, connecting each pilgrim and visitor with its history.  Every time I smell Frankincense, I remember Notre Dame in Paris, St. Paul’s in London, Aya Sofya in Istanbul, Santa Croce in Florence and I’m right back in those places, feeling the immense feelings of humanity and history and faith.

Frankincense can be used to help me feel grounded and peaceful.  I use it every morning and I have been trying to say an affirmation as I smell it and apply it.  The affirmation changes, as I’m trying to find the right one that fits.  Here’s one that I found in the Book of Common Prayer that is meant for Evening Prayer, but works any time of day, really – “Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”  I love that visual – that our prayers and intentions are lifted like the smoke rising from the thurible.

Frankincense is also amazing for other reasons.  First of all, it is so great for supporting the skin, especially aging and dry skin.  It has been used in medication for thousands of years – in fact it was mentioned in the oldest known medical records, the Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt.  It also supports our body’s natural response to inflammation and is an incredible support to our immune systems.  Just google it to find out more than I can say here.  It’s amazing.

So, Frankincense supports my skin, my body, and my mind.  What’s not to love?