Ask yourself, "Why not?"

Can I bring snow inside the house?

Can we actually cook my concoction and taste it?

Can I ....? (you fill in the blank)

Saying YES to our children's requests can be difficult. 

 Our first reaction is most often "no, not right now, maybe later."  

But what if we took a moment to really think about what they were asking.  

Better yet, take a moment to think about your reaction, then ask yourself "why not?"

I have been reading Pam Laricchia's books, which are on sale this month!!! What I read was confirmed by our actions at home.  My husband is doing it all right without having read the books, just by intuition and his awesome parenting!!

One day the boys wanted to use our fire pit and have s'mores.  Unfortunately we had no yummy supplies, so we planed to build a fire the next evening. I had to go out for a bit and returned to find three fires going in the back yard!  Daddy looked up and said, "MJ kept asking me to light his pretend fire. At first I said no, but then I thought why not?"

My boys were so absolutely proud of their creations.  They explored the best way to build the pit using some bricks, and which sticks would burn easily.  We had fun with marshmallows and really connected as a family.

The next morning the boys were outside still in their pajamas working on the fire pits again.  This time TJ wanted his to be bigger!  MJ created several small ones deciding on which design he liked best.  TJ drove the tractor to our brick pile (yes we have one!) to gather more supplies.  They went off in search of sticks to use.  Then wishing aloud one of the boys said he wanted to cook more than just marshmallows over the fire.  I hesitated thinking: how inconvenient it might be, I really had no idea how, what if it turned out badly, the stores were closed today too... "Sure that sounds interesting.  Let's look up some recipes to see how."

Oh their eyes lit up.  Did mommy really say yes to an idea?  

TJ and I looked up some campfire cooking ideas and made a list.  We chose some recipes that looked interesting and doable.  Next we drove off to see if any stores were open.  Being Labour Day, nothing was open.  Since we had already talked about that possibility, we then brainstormed how we could plan dinner using what we had at home. TJ was surprisingly flexible and excited.  He also decided to set up his tent at home and pretend he was camping.

Dinner time couldn't come fast enough for these guys! We decided to try popcorn, hot dogs and s'mores.

 I won't lie, it was rather hot out, breezy, and difficult to keep their little fires lit. I had to run between two fires, the baby and helping them actually cook their food.  It wasn't totally the most easy time for daddy and I, but we both kept positive.  TJ felt badly about how much work we had to do.  I assured him that this was all new to us, an adventure and part of the experience.  I'd never cooked over a fire either so I had to figure it all out.  

We talked about how life must have been years ago when fire was all they had available.  Working as a team also came into play.  Someone had to keep the fires going, another to cook, sharing cooking implements (a good marshmallow stick) etc.

Later MJ sprayed some water on his fire and it went out.  Devastated he ran in to ask for the fire place blower to get it going again.  I was rather tired by now so baby JJ got my attention.  Daddy was kind enough to re-light MJ's fire pit.  The boys played with it for a while longer before evening routine.

Saying yes brought about the best end-off-summer family memories.  We also all got to experience something new because we followed the curiosity of a young child!!

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Our Week: Mid July

Oh man we have had an amazing week!!!  Lots of photos to share.  We are so blessed with amazing family and friends.  I am feeling so loved.

Last weekend we spent some time with Grandpa and Grandma Scott having a picnic at a local creek.  Grandma captured some wonderful photos for us.

TJ and I showing off the community garden plot

TJ in action

Me at 38 weeks

Boys exploring the creek

MJ and Mommy

MJ on a bridge

Happy family, yummy ice cream!! (yes TJ has some very blue ice cream)

We started our week with Camp Google.  Unfortunately I can not seem to get the larger video to play smoothly without pausing.  But that didn't stop us.  We made collages, did an experiment and watched ocean videos.

All set for Ocean Week with Camp Google

TJ's ocean collage with a little mommy assistance.  Our friend made a winter/animal theme.  Mommy made a collage too.  MJ made multiple collages and card.

I know I can't spell!!

We did some buoyancy experiments.  The children also learned the names of all the oceans.  Every time someone in the family travels we circle the country and flag on our world map.  The boys love receiving post cards too.

Later in the day we joined some friends in the natural park near our house.  We let the kids lead the way and take loads of pictures along the way.  We saw turtles, tadpoles, snakes and fungi.

While not in a forest, the kids have been on the trampoline, bikes, sandbox, toy tractor and more.    Paper airplanes, donating items, selling toys to each other, playing vet, reading, Wii and more. They are so crafty and have great imaginations!

MJ made his own swing, while TJ digs to the bottom of the sand box

Ice cream prizes, and McDonalds Minion fun

Mommy is getting ready for baby.

Mommy is excited for little baby to arrive.  I've been trying to prep as much as possible.  Running errands, organizing baby items and baking.  I'm due in just over a week.

In the middle of the week we joined a wonderful group of homeschoolers at the same creek we had been to on the weekend.  I am so blessed to know these amazing families.  My good friend organized a surprise shower for me!!

An amazingly talented friend made the care (do go visit A Little Taste of Heaven).  There was delicious food, a poster for everyone to sign, an adorable onsie for everyone to sign, a bottle of chocolates to win, and games to play.  The kids all played in the creek and playground for hours.

How kind everyone was.  We received the most adorable little outfit wrapped in a receiving blanket.  A group of friends got together to provide us with pre-paid babysitting from our regular sitters.  I was so surprised when I opened the balloons, then realized they were full of certificates!!  The girls were going to jump out of a box, but were at a church camp this week.  

When we arrived home our daycare child's mom was waiting for us.  She is so creative and thoughtful.  Look at this adorable diaper cake!!

The next day we visited a different creek to check on the dams the kids had made a few weeks before.  Some didn't last as long as I expected, but we did have a wonderful time.  On the way home we stopped at the splash park to play and enjoy left over cake.


To end our week we took advantage of the free admission day at all the provincial parks.  A group of homeschoolers all gathered at the park nearby to play at the farm and kids play barn.  The rain never stops these kids and their fun.

Back home MJ decided to turn our home into a farm.  He planed out where everyone would go, which animals we'd have and more.  He then began to move bricks about to create the cash check out for the store that will sell all the things our farm produces.  SO CUTE!!!!

This weekend we've been busy running errands, working on cars and house, visiting friends and more.  What a beautiful time we've had.  I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into our week.

What Happened to the Alphabet posts???

What happened to the Alphabet Adventure posts???  

SUMMER happened

We have been to a few local beaches.  The boys have discovered boating at the cottage.  We get together regularly with my sister and the cousins are having so much fun.  Our gardens and veggies are a source of food, work and joy!

Playgrounds are frequented often.  TJ has really become a little monkey.  More fun with cousins as we discovered bubble snakes.  The boys have the time to explore their own interests.  Here they are making potions and concoctions with all sorts of kitchen items.  Imaginations have run wild as the boys pretend to fish among other adventures they've invented.

 We walk often in the forest, to the park and in the nature reserves.  Often times some stuffed friends will be join us.  We visit grandparents and love building connections.  The boys just loved their visit to Story Book Park in Owen Sound.  MJ has be exploring "floating and sinking" along with just playing with the hose.  TJ has built a forrest stick cottage and invites us over for parties that he hosts.

My sister and I put on a mini carnival for the kids complete with face painting, play dough, puppet show and make your own pinata!!  W also have one daycare child with us all summer.  We've had this little girl for two years now and the boys just love having her over each day.  We go to the library each week, read lots, play hard and are having a great time.  Oh yea, we also got the new truck labeled!!

What about school??  Well at first I was stressed that we weren't doing our regular school work as I had planed it.  But then I realized that we are doing each of the letters again in the fall.  Summer is a time for being outdoors, using the imagination and connecting with others.  We are going to use the rest of our summer for messy crafts (I can't stand to do them inside in the winter), along with some wood working.  We are going to spend as much time as we can with our friends and cousins before school starts.  We are also learning all the time!  So for us, school never ends....

Stay tuned for TJ's first blog post ever!  He took on his own little project to build a toy boat, it led him to learn more about pontoon boats and he wants to share his discoveries with you.