this moment {in town}

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of grace and goodness!

this moment {mom, want to learn how to play?}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment {brothers}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

so it seems

So it seems that all it takes is a bit of lemonade and my guys are right there with me garage-saling.

Lemonade, and a dollar each to spend on anything they want.  Unfortunately I didn't think to give a "no beanie babies" disclaimer as I handed out the dollars.  Hrmph.

Together we traipsed street after street of a neighborhood sale and found treasures galore.  They learned some important lessons about smart browsing,  about only buying what you really want or need, about negotiation and about what makes a reasonable offer for sand toys that you. must. have.

We burned through the handful of dollars in my pocket, with not a house to spare, because the find of the day came as we headed back to the car. 

This sweet kitchen canister.  I've been wanting containers for the counter to keep the flour and sugar and other baking ingredients closer at hand. 

And the bonus.  Since there was only one, it keeps the hunt going for something to hold the sugar!  Good thing I have my boys to help me look.


I'm linking up with baby by the sea for Thrifty Thursday.

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are savoring this week!

May the force be with you this weekend!

this moment {learning letters}

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this weekly ritual of pausing to savor a moment from the week.

Beautifully simple.  Extraordinarily lovely.

I love to see your moments too, so leave a link in the comments!

Wishing you a weekend full of wonderful discoveries!
Claudine

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this weekly tradition of pausing to savor a moment from the week.

Simple. Lovely. Extraordinary.

I love to see your moments too, so leave a link in the comments!

Wising you a warming and beautiful weekend!
Claudine

progress

So transformations take time.  Especially transformations of the home improvement variety.

And sometimes this Mama is impatient.

I am going to utilize my Bradley breathing (I'm so lucky that my knowledge of natural childbirth breathing techniques comes in handy in all kinds of situations) and embrace this disaster that will be our home for a bit while we build furniture and paint rooms and shift furniture from one room to another and sort stuff, hopefully discarding or re-purposing a good bit!

Oh, and try and keep up some sort of normal routine while all of this takes place.

But we've started.  With a great deal of excitement and help from the boys.

A bed has been built.

A bunk bed to be exact.

So they must getting older.

The toddler bed has been taken down and stored away until needed again.

The big kid bed is now a big kid bed five feet in the air.

So now as I go to sleep it is with the deep-gut realization that the two boys sleeping in the bunk bed in the room next door are growing.  Slowly becoming more and more who they are to be.

I guess you could say transforming.

this moment

A Friday ritual in which I join Soulemama, and many others, in sharing a single photo.

In her words: "A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.  A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."
Wishing you a playful (in t-shirts even) weekend!


Please share your moment too.

welcome home

Earlier this week we found ourselves making a late-evening trip to Target.

This is fairly unusual because we really aren't that much of shoppers.

And it was nearing bedtime for the kids.

And there was no real reason that we needed to go.

Well no reason except that it felt fun and spontaneous and the right thing to do.  And there were two little heroes needing to be gotten.

You see, it was a couple days earlier that we had welcomed a couple other Lego "Hero Factory" Heroes into our lives.  Which isn't extraordinary in itself, except that these heroes have really taken to the boys.

And the boys have really taken to them. 

They have made little beds for them and tuck them in tightly. 

They have fed them yogurt with spoons.

They have created play rooms for them complete with toys and books.

They have been sleeping on the floor next to them.  Really.

So the entire family bundled up and piled into the car.  Together we treked out to Target and had ourselves a grand time.

There was much deliberation, but just the right heroes were chosen, purchased, clutched close, and brought home to join the fun. 

And plans for more fun are in the works, complete with architectural renderings and sewing projects.  Yes it warms a crafty Mama's heart that there are plans for 22 -- yes 22 -- little pillows and blankets to be made!

Now don't mistakenly think that somehow this is happening because our boys have been doll deprived up until now.  Quite the contrary.  Special babies have been given and Santa even brought a very cool house with dolls last Christmas. Ahem.  To no avail.

I guess it just took some very colorful creatures to capture the paternal hearts of our guys.  And this Mama is watching them with pleasure, thankful that they have.

And now, I'm off to invest in some Lego stock.

this moment

I'm joining Soule Mama in this Friday ritual.

In her words: "A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link up your moment in the comments for others to enjoy!

Wishing you a weekend full of love and kisses, mistletoe optional!

first snow

Well there isn't much better than waking to snow and within minutes being bundled up and playing outside. (It is so totally okay to wear pj's under snow pants according to this Mama!)

And that is exactly what Big Brother and Little Brother did this weekend.

Morning.  Noon.  Night.

So this Mama dug out the hats and mittens and boots and snowpants.

Those shovels that were scooping up leaves last weekend?  Yep, scooping up lots and lots of snow this weekend!

Guess we are now ready for winter!  Hot chocolate anyone?

this moment

I'm joining Soule Mama in this Friday ritual.  In her words:  "A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Hope your week has been filled with "simple, special, extraordinary moments."

All the best,
Claudine