dilemmas, dilemmas? / Geting back on track

so i haven't posted anything in a very long time. Life has definitely been hectic. My partner finish his first semester of school, which is so amazing, i'm so proud of him. Eli just turned five and amazes me every day with her level of comprehension, and her ever growing imagination. She has requested to go to school, i new she would, and after much debate we decided on trying out a coop charter school for a year. i have to admit when taking the tour for open class room i was awe struck. It really was quite amazing. their was a warmth about the place , art every where. It only has about 300 or so students. We entered a k and 1 combined class as they were preparing to do tidying. There were two teachers and 5 parents in the room. so one adult per every five children, plus they really encourage peer learning. My friends son enrolled this year. The work load for the parents is intense i'm told. for you not only take part in your own child's education but make entire lesson plans, courses and activities for the entire class. not to mention planning field trips and such. I'm very excited , i want to be this involved, but at the same time i feel apprehensive. Although it is not your typical public school they are still subject to specific district standerds such as standardized testing, a full week schedule and now even homework, which might be a deal breaker. We do also have an other option. according to my friend , homeschooling parents are allowed to take advantage of the public school resources , such as clubs and part time attendance. this of course does not apply to open class room because it has a limit on the number of students. so if open class room isn't the right fit , we might try that. Though my ideal would be to have her in a montessori school twice a week and homeschooling? unschooling the rest of the week,we are not finically capable of that at the moment. Wish us luck on this bumpy road called parent hood.

Trash craft: DIY recycled sweater playscape

Well it wasn't exactly finished but here it is. My first felt playscape.  The stream, lake, rocks and grassy patches are all made from felted sweaters. Though I bought the felt for the base and cave. I finished it of with a little embroidery , reeds made from green yarn, and a little wool tree made from sweaters too. Though their were a few more things I wanted to add, I just couldn't wait any longer to give it to the girls. I can always make a more elaborate one while they play with this one, and I have this wonderful felt deer family pattern i bought online that's waiting to be made. So there you have it, you never know what you can make from thirty store scores or trash if you just care enough to try. Happy sewing

We made baklava!!!

Three hours and forty three layers later and we finally finish our very first ever baklava. We use earth balance and a combination of agave nectar and freegan honey for a sugar free version. We used grechens baklava recipe online, it used walnut instead of the traditional almonds and pistachios (we used pecans and replaced the sugar with agave ). It had  to sit least 24 hours after being made before we could try it ( we cheated though) it was so Yummy!! Theirs a few adjustments I would make mainly due to our alterations, but all in all a very good recipe with lots of tips and q&a section. Happy baking

A hidden place

Who would have known a trip to the park would lead us on an adventure. a hidden place full of mister. We tracked through the wilderness to discover a little house maby once belonging to a gnome or other woodland creature now abanded. so we made it our own.

Eli and Amelie strawberry garden

After a long winter and plenty of compost the little ones garden bed finally has plants in it. We decided on strawberries! The girls planted them in yesterday afternoon and gave them a good watering this morning. They will also be looking after a Blueberry plant. We've also begun working on our big vegetables bed. I love spring!

Breakfast in the garden

We had Blueberry pancakes and Blueberry tea , the girls were in a very blue berry  kinda mood. We sat in the garden and enjoyed our homemade dandelion syrup and listened to the birds sing . If one could freeze a moment in time , this would definately be one of them.

Happy mothers day

I hope everyone's day was as lovely as mine. Daddy and the girls made me Alaskan waffle which is a jolley tradition. I was also given a lovely ornamental plate with an image of a goddess of motherhood, as I imagine it. We spent the rest of the day with our friends at the park, and had some treats at city cakes, the vegan bakery (This all took place in rain). Then daddy made us a lovely dinner of pasta with dandelion and papers , some crust bread with oil and pomogranet vinegar and a nice glass of port. Thankyou daddy it was a wonderful day, I love you all so much.

Making dandelion syrup

This is a lovely activity for spring. I got the initial idea from 5 Orange potatoes. We made ours using agave syrup which turned out nicely. Simple have the little ones gather as many dandelion flowers as they can from a clean , not sprayed , and away from traffic. Then remove the petals from their green base. Simmer in 3 cups water per 100 blossoms or so for 1 hour . Then let cool and refrigerate over night. In the morning strain and add 1 cup agave nectar or sugar if you like and the juice of one lemon ( this is optional, we didn,t add it) simmer on low until foam and let cool. The floral flavor does come out completely until the next day I feel. Good luck

ELIS LATEST CREATION

This pink little cookie with beaded icing was designed and brought to life by eli, she is so amazing! Not bad for a 4 year old, she is constantly asking to sew now. We just having too much fun. Next she wants to make a cookie bag. I'll post that as soon as its done

Elis new bunny friend

Eli sewed this cute little bunny today. She was very proud and so was I.

The holi festival 2011

3rd year in a row, it was amazing as always. Eli was the most excited this year.