baa-baa-black sheep.

September 29, 2012 by mama lola

we had a family date last night. we walked downtown and enjoyed some good ol’ culture!
first, we saw les moutons from corpus. it was the funniest and silliest thing ever!

the performance included sheep, a shepherd and of course a big bad wolf. the kids loved it and lion is still talking about the sheep. they really made an impression on him.

the we headed up the road to another cultural event, an yarn bombing! local volunteers knit various sized squares that were the brought downtown to cozy up the trees and streets. lion went around hugging all the trees, while bear made a pom-pom to match his fleece!

today, we’re heading out to some farms to pick some apples, find some pumpkins and spend some quality time a family.

what are your plans for the weekend?

…

September 28, 2012 by mama lola

~ this moment ~

as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words. only an image to sum up our time as a family, one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this moment. feel free to leave a link to your moment from the week,

a conversation with a four year old.

September 27, 2012 by mama lola

bear : äiti, when you were little what did you want to be when you growed up?
me : i wanted to be lots of things.
bear : i want to be an astronaut.
me : i wanted to be a baker, a teacher and a painter.
bear : did you want to be a parent.
me : oh, yeah. i’ve always wanted to be an äiti. do you want to be a parent one day?
bear : no. i won’t have time. i’ll be in the rocket.
me : you can have kids and work outside the home.
bear : yeah, that’s true. being a parent is easy.

this is what our dinner conversation sounded like the other night. i wanted to laugh so hard at the end, but held it together. i didn’t want to offend the budding space traveller! it’s all that much more hilarious, because bear told dear hubby the other night, that he wanted to be a stay-at-home-dad, which is pretty unusual, but cool. he often talks about wanting to be a dad and about getting married.

growing up is hard to do. it’s a tremendous amount of work; physically, emotionally and cognitively. lion is raging through a massive growth spurt. his vocabulary is exploding, he’s complaining about his knees hurting and he eats like a horse. the last point is kinda surprising, as he’s still such a teeny dude. the world is still so vast that his oblivion is endearing to watch. his needs are simple to meet

bear though, is learning more about the world. the injustices like war and hunger and poverty are big topics. discussing war with a kid who keeps asking why is depressing. “why don’t they just want to get along and be nice to each other?”, “why are their guns and weapons?”, “why is there war in africa, but not here? will war come to canada?” oh boy, these are super tough questions to answer. i have started to explain and remind him that he is fortunate to have a home, to have food, to have a bed and to have toys. these are basic things he can relate to and hearing there are kids without toys, shocks him and then brings on more why questions. questions, i try to answer honestly.

watching the boys grow is so bittersweet. i know i have said a zillion times, but it is so true.
gah…

little fishes.

September 25, 2012 by mama lola

bear started swimming lessons last week and it was a huge hit!

i have wanted to get him signed up for a long time, but wanted him to be old enough so that he could be independently in the pool. having a little brother, meant things got a little delayed, as i was never keen on leaving lion in the childminding at the local YMCA. so, this september was it. we signed him up and bear was thrilled. he never expressed any fear or apprehension, instead he has always sounded very proud at the idea of going swimming. to make the lessons more fun, his bestie is going with him.

last week was the first lesson. i was very surprised at bear’s enthusiasm, as we have had such struggles in the past with him participating alone in camps or other activities. his anxiety surrounding separation and transitions is difficult to predict, and as he gets older some things are becoming easier for him.

he goes swimming on a weekday morning, while his peers are at school. it’s a perfect way to fill the morning, without going to school. lion and i get to sit on the benches on the side and watch. we clap and cheer as the boys splash their way though the water.

mrT and bear are the only two kids in the group, so it’s as though their having private lessons. the direct attention from their instructor is priceless, as she swims with them in the pool, directing them into the deep end, catching them as they jump in and giving them all the guidance and confidence they need.

here’s hoping this weeks morning lesson goes as smoothly as last weeks, as these two adorable fishies are so fortunate to have these lessons without any other kids in the group.

fall wreaths.

September 25, 2012 by mama lola

i love wreaths on front doors. here are four of my faves that i found on pinterest. aesthetically, the cob one is not the best, but i love the idea.

things to consider:

the gourds are probably quite heavy on a wreath, so when using them it’s important to attach them well.
think about how much traffic is going in and out of your door. it’s important the wreath does not fall or bash into your door too much.
how much direct weather the wreath will have to endure when choosing which kind to make or purchase. the sun, rain, wind, varying temperatures and snow can all do a number on your wreath.

our front door has a large window, so i have to be mindful not to scratch the glass with wires or other materials. it’s also a good idea to make the back of the wreath pretty, so that it is pleasing to the eye from inside as well.

1. floral wreath from here.

2. cob wreath from here.

3. gourd wreath from here.

4. floral/ leaf wreath from here.

we’ll be making a wreath this season, and my plan is to incorporate something from each of the wreaths above. i will post pics of the final product!

happy tuesday to you!

we headed north.

September 24, 2012 by mama lola

i’ve been away for a few days in a place that lacks easy access to the internet. we were up north, at the cottage with friends enjoying the fall weather. fall is one of my favourite times of year up there, with the leaves changing colour, the cooler temperatures that mean you have to have the fire going all day and all night. this weekend was pretty wet, but the falling rain that echoed on the steal roof was such beautiful sound, nobody complained about the rain.

the kids loved being outside. we went for a nice hike up to the lookout point, which we discovered was also the perfect place to build a fairy hut. back at the cottage, we put them to work in the damp air. food always tastes so much better outside. so does beer. especially after filling the woodshed with fresh chopped logs. thanks for your hard work everyone!

dear hubby and i have been following the tv show “so you think you can dance”, but because we don’t have cable at home, we have always been a little behind on the competition. on saturday, before dinner we watched the show on dear hubby’s laptop and saw the highly anticipated finale. it was such a thrilling show; we cried and laughed and then as the winners were announced, my screaming and excited clapping took off. i felt such joy and relief when my faves won the competition!!! cheers!

the kids always play so well together. we didn’t bring too many toys up, but the kids found lots to do regardless. they ran around all over the place, read stories, collected countless sticks for all sorts reasons and made some pretty amazing mud!

hope you had a great weekend.

happy monday everyone!

picture perfect.

September 19, 2012 by mama lola

today’s NaBloPoMo prompt :: still picture vs. video.
i think it’s pretty obvious just from this blog that i prefer a still picture to a video. i do take video’s of the boys at times, but i mostly take photo’s. lots and lots of photo’s. there’s something more revealing about a photograph than a video.

for example, i got a mini video of bear’s first steps, and although i love it and i remember that evening so well, i prefer the pictures i got of lion’s first steps. right, dontcha think?

exhibit A: bear’s first steps a couple of days before his first christmas, 2008.

versus

exhibit B: lion’s first steps a couple of weeks after his first birthday, july 2011

with a still picture you an sit there and just stare at the image in front of you. i’m the kind of person who loves to soak in all the details in a photo; i notice things in the foreground, background, and all the specifics in between. there’s something magical about capturing tiny moments in time, as opposed to longer stretches. like in the sequence above with lion, look at his little dimple, his wee hands and the way his toes curl when he takes a step. or bear in the background aware of what’s going on, but busy with his own game. so sweet n’ lovely.

back in the day, i was the friend who loved looking at other people’s vacation pictures. there was something about listening to the stories, brought on by a specific photo, that i have always enjoyed. other peoples pictures have always fascinated me. i used to spend hours looking at old pictures of relatives i had never met, but felt connected to. those moments provide opportunities for ones imagination to go wild and take you to adventurous places, wondering about all the details the photograph cannot capture. like sound.

video has sound, which can be a bonus. but, as a visual person, a visual learner, i don’t miss the sound when looking at a still.

which do you prefer? still or video?

here’s filter with “take a picture”. love this song; brings back all sorts of memories!

the elements

September 19, 2012 by mama lola

this morning when we woke up the sky was falling. it was raining and hard! the kind of rain, where i was willing to get everyone dressed and ready for the day, pile them in the car and drop bear off at school. and that was the plan, but then dear hubby braved up and decided he would just walk to school with bear. (tuesdays are his school drop off days.) i was so pleased, because i didn’t want to slide into the car routine so easily and quickly. school has only been on for a week and it’s only about 15 minutes away!

this afternoon, it was my turn to pick up bear and brave the ominous dark clouds sitting in the horizon. i got lion and myself decked out in our rain coats and rubber boots and off we went. luckily, it wasn’t raining as hard as it was this morning.

when i was growing up in finland, i always walked to school. rain or shine or snow, i had to walk or bike. but, there was this one exception. it was winter 1986/87 or so and the temperature had dipped down to some record breaking lows. they were in the mid -30’s celsius for days (maybe weeks) , my dad was away on business is venezuala for a month, so my mom decided to drive some of my friends and i to school. and let me make a point here, i was NEVER driven to school, it’s just something that never happened. ever. so anyhow, it was so cold and about 5 of my little friends came to our house and we all piled into the car. the seats were frozen solid and the cassette tape (probably paul simon’s, graceland) in the player sounded all wonky. cars are all plugged in overnight in finland, so that they will start the next day, but it had been so cold, even the plugged car had difficulty starting! yikes! my mom and i still laugh about that morning.

[ here’s a pic of me at about a year old, sleeping with my fur hat on. fur hats were big back then!]

here’s hoping we will brave any weather mother nature throws our way, no matter how wet,cold, windy or humid!

how do you manage the elements?

healthy quinoa patties for dinner!

September 17, 2012 by mama lola

i have been looking on pinterest for more interesting lunch ideas for bear. he loves wraps and sandwiches just fine, but they look pretty plain and no amount of avocado will jazz things up enough!

while pinning, i stumbled upon this recipe for quinoa patties from an aussie food blog, cook republic. yum! we have quinoa in the pantry and the kids love it, so i made them, just like that. i had to customize the recipe, removing the eggs and using ground flax seeds instead. i also added and removed ingredients according to our likes and supplies on hand.

:: INGREDIENTS ::

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

egg replacer : 2 table spoons of ground flax seed mixed with 6 table spoons of water to make paste

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped

1 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 teaspoon mild paprika

sprinkling of sea salt & ground black pepper

olive oil to pan fry

:: INSTRUCTIONS ::

mix all ingredients in a bowl. heat olive oil in pan. take a spoonful of the quinoa mix and mould the patty in your palm. i found that if i made them slightly thicker initially, they flattened out better. i made my patties about 2cm’s high with a 5cm diameter. the patties are very fragile and can easily crumble, but if you fry them on a low heat and remain patient you can get good shapes.

i used red quinoa, the patties are not burnt.

quinoa patties, healthy dinner, vegetarian

we enjoyed our quinoa patties with a bowl of potato and leek soup, and a green salad. i made a quick sour cream dressing (sour cream, white vinegar, sea salt, sugar, fresh dill)l to dress up the patties, instead of having ketchup as suggested by cook republic.

next up, home made crescent rolls. i like the idea of the small snack, but hate to think of all the additives and chemicals used in the ready-made stuff in tube. and, if i make lots i can freeze ’em! and they can be jazzed up with various fruits and seeds, oh my!

what kinds of things do you make your kids for lunch? i’m looking forwardto the day i can send bear with a thermos of warm food in it.

the MAMA’s photoshoot.

September 16, 2012 by mama lola

today, i was so confused by bear and his outrageous, unexpected anxiety.

it was our 5th annual baby group photoshoot. this is the group that came together when i was first time mum, trying desperately to figure out this whole mothering thing. the first year, the first generation of kids (bear’s age) were all about 6-8 months (except for one 6 week old) and now, the first gen’s are all over 4 years old! there are now the second generation kids, who are all about lion’s age and some MAMA’s have even had or are baking their third!!!

it’s such a fun time, but it does get quite chaotic. luckily, the photographers are mama’s too and really great with the kids. they work as a team, separating the group until it’s time for the dreaded group pic. oh boy, this year, well, bear wasn’t in the pics again and lion stood there crying. some of the other kids sat there so nicely, smiling with their sibling next to them. but not my kids. no, no…

check out the kid wearing the red pants… oh, lion…

bears tears started long before we even left the house. then as we pulled into the parking lot the screaming started, and luckily dear hubby just stayed with him there. it confuses me that bear’s behaviour was so extreme, for something so simple. a photoshoot with friends. with his parents there. and his brother.